Ms. Marvel actress Iman Vellani responded to The Marvels' disappointing box office results in the perfect way.
Despite massive praise for Vellani's Ms. Marvel across most of the reviews following her MCU debut on Disney+, The Marvels has struggled to pick up much traction at the box office, leaving it in danger of becoming a historic failure.
Not only were the ticket pre-sales the weakest of the post-COVID era MCU, but the domestic opening weekend became the lowest in franchise history at just $46.11 million - the previous record being The Incredible Hulk's $55.41 million.
And things aren't showing any signs of looking up for Captain Marvel 2 after the movie brought in just $10.12 million domestically in weekend two, marking the biggest drop-off for a superhero movie ever at 79% - even worse than Morbius.
Iman Vellani on The Marvels' Box Office
In an interview with Yahoo Entertainment, Iman Vellani (Ms. Marvel) explained that, to her, there is no reason to dwell on The Marvels' disappointing run at the box office, as it was not something she could control, and reminded fans to "never be the wet blanket on someone else’s excitement.”
Vellani explained that she does not want "to focus on" factors out of her control — in this case, The Marvels' box-office performance, leaving that job to Disney CEO Bob Iger:
"I don’t want to focus on something that’s not even in my control, because what’s the point? ... That’s for Bob Iger."
She said that she is "happy with the finished product," and that "the people [she cares] about enjoyed the film," adding that she is "just so happy that [she] can share it with people:"
"[The box office] has nothing to do with me ... I’m happy with the finished product, and the people that I care about enjoyed the film. It’s genuinely a good time watching this movie, and that’s all we can ask for with these films. It has superheroes, it take place in space, it’s not that deep and it’s about teamwork and sisterhood. It’s a fun movie, and I’m just so happy that I can share it with people."
Vellani explained how she has had practice being "shut ... down for being so excited" about something, and that she hopes not to see that among MCU fans as "it does feel awful:"
"I had a lot of experience in high school alone when I would share my excitement with someone, and then they’d immediately shut me down for being so excited ... I would hate to see that within the fan community as well, because it does feel awful."
She advised fans to "let [people] be excited," adding that while "constructive criticism" should be voiced, fans should "never be the wet blanket on someone else’s excitement:"
"If people are excited about something, let them be excited about it. And if you have constructive criticism, voice it — but never be the wet blanket on someone else’s excitement."
The Marvels' Historically Bad Box Office
The Marvels has only been in theaters for a short time, so there is theoretically still time for it to turn around with critics and at the box office. But after such a massive second-weekend drop and no signs of rising interest, things aren't looking good.
But alas, this may all be too little too late for The Marvels, as the movie now appears unlikely to even cross $100 million domestically - a first for the MCU.
Even worldwide the total currently rests at just $162.64 million, leaving a ways to go in order to cross its reported $220 million budget.
As theaters take around half the theatrical gross, Disney may be relying on home release sales and streaming revenue to recoup the costs of what will likely be its lowest-grossing movie ever, topping The Incredible Hulk's $265.57 million in 2008.
This disappointment be attributed to many factors - The Marvels had no press tour because of the SAG-AFTRA strike, many are coming in with misogynistic pre-determined opinions, the film under-performed on Rotten Tomatoes and in CinemaScore's ratings, and MCU fatigue continues to hit fans hard.
But as Thanksgiving in the United States is coming soon, perhaps the holiday season will leave those who didn't exactly rush to theaters for The Marvels time to catch the movie while they are off of school or work.
Furthermore, with the SAG-AFTRA strike ending just days before The Marvels officially hit theaters, its cast has been working diligently to make up for lost time promoting the movie in its early weeks.
There are plenty of fans like Vellani who are excited about this movie, and it is not like The Marvels is not reaching audiences at all.
The Marvels is currently playing in theaters.
Gillian Blum has been a writer at The Direct since 2022, reporting primarily from New York City. Though she covers news from across the entertainment industry, Gillian has a particular focus on Marvel and DC, including comics, movies, and television shows. She also commonly reports on Percy Jackson, Invincible, and other similar franchises.
