Marvel’s Eternals performed well in terms of ticket sales and early ticket sales. However, Marvel’s Eternals projections predict that the film will underperform at the box office.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Marvel’s Eternals projections say it will only earn somewhere between $67 million and $69 million USD during its opening box office weekend. For comparison, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings earned $94.7 million opening weekend. Black Widow earned $80.4 million USD from its release in theaters and the Disney+ opening weekend.
Since its release, Eternals has not done well with critics and fans either. The film is the only one in the Marvel Cinematic Universe to receive a Rotten rating on Rotten Tomatoes. It has also revived the lowest audience grade on CinemaScore of any of the franchise. The movie seems to be doing well with international audiences. However, it has been pulled in multiple countries for its portrayal of a same-sex couple.
Marvel’s Plans Since The Eternals
Academy Award winner Chloe Zhao directed Marvel’s Eternals. It is the 26th film in the MCU and the third movie in the Phase 4 storyline. The story follows a superhero team that was sent to Earth to defend humanity from the Deviants. As modern-day Deviants appear, the team is forced to reunite. Eternals stars many big-name actors such as Angelina Jolie, Salma Hayek, and Gemma Chan.
Eternals isn’t the only film to underperform at the box office due to the COVID-19 pandemic. James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad, Pablo Larrain’s Spencer, and more have faced these financial problems. However, other films like Halloween Kills, Free Guy, and The Green Knight have found financial success during the pandemic. This is probably due to the fact that they were made available on streaming platforms.
While the film might not have been the success that Marvel was hoping for, the studio is still going forward with its film plans. Currently, Eternals is only available to watch in theaters.