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When Morbius first hit theaters in April 2022, it looked like a potential win for Sony. The superhero movie earned a respectable gross during opening weekend, but sales dropped a staggering 74%. The box office flop quickly became an internet sensation, giving rise to “It’s Morbin Time” memes and the hashtag Morbius Sweep. Although movie fans openly mocked the film, Sony decided to capitalize on the backlash and rerelease Morbius for another round of theater showings. The result? The movie flopped again in true Morbius Sweep fashion – even worse than the first time. Morbius’ utter failure is an interesting phenomenon in a sea of wildly popular films based on Marvel characters.
10. Critics Disliked Jared Leto’s Performance
Actor Jared Leto did some serious method acting for his role as the eponymous biochemist-turned-vampire. He reportedly spent as much time as possible in a wheelchair – even between takes – to make his movie role more believable. This extra effort makes the fact that Morbius was a box office flop even more unfortunate. When the Morbius Sweep hashtag started trending on Twitter after the film’s first release, the actor became the subject of countless internet jokes and memes.
9. The Cliffhanger Ending Didn’t Capture Movie Fans
Many films end with a cliffhanger as a lead-in for an upcoming sequel. However, Morbius‘s cliffhanger ending did little to generate interest in a sequel. Instead of drawing fans deeper into the world of the movie and setting the stage for Morbius 2, the cliffhanger served as a somewhat dull ending to a mostly unexciting film. It doesn’t help that many people who have gone to see the movie since its rerelease have only done so to understand the famous Morbius Sweep and It’s Morbin’ Time memes.
8. The Movie Isn’t Structured Enough
A well-structured plot is like the glue that holds a feature film together, and Morbius didn’t have enough of it. Critics have complained that the story doesn’t appear to have a clear direction in some parts of the film and gets hard to follow in other parts. In addition to critics, fans have also expressed concerns about the movie’s structure, citing several significant plotholes that distract from the overall storytelling. Furthermore, some post-credit scenes created confusion about events that occurred during the film.
7. Memes Turned Morbius Into A Joke
It’s hard to think of recent pop-culture memes and not think of the “It’s Morbin’ Time” memes. The phrase comes from an old Power Rangers catchphrase, “It’s Morphin’ Time.” The meme spread like wildfire when it first hit the internet and became a full-blown sensation. The meme’s catchphrase started as a 2021 Tweet, but it didn’t catch on until users rediscovered it in May 2022. Unfortunately for the creators of Morbius, the “It’s Morbin’ Time” craze is way more popular than the film.
6. The Cinematography Could’ve Been Better
Though the film features some stunning visual effects, poor cinematography often overshadows these effects. Critics panned the film for being overly dark and felt it detracted from their movie-watching experience. Although many critics and fans appreciated some of the spooky, vampire-themed aspects of the movie’s aesthetic, the general consensus is that Morbius would have benefitted from more careful editing in post-production.
5. Fans Are Bitter About Sony Keeping Spider-Man Out Of The MCU
Marvel fans expected Sony’s Marvel-based film series to tie in with the Spider-Man movies. However, post-credit scenes suggested that this was not the case. Many diehard fans felt misled about Sony’s promises related to the tie-in, which affected how they viewed the Morbius movie. When the movie didn’t meet its expectations, it became extra fuel for the fire. Fans trolled Sony for the film’s failure and for allegedly misleading them.
4. MorbiusSweep Wasn’t Meant As Praise
The Morbius Sweep craze certainly generated a lot of buzz around Morbius. That buzz was a factor in Sony’s decision to rerelease the film. However, Morbius Sweep memes and Tweets are downright scathing, using sarcasm and hyperbole to make fun of the movie. The craze has gotten so widespread that the film has an overinflated approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes due to facetious user reviews. It didn’t save Morpheus from being a box office flop, but it certainly gives the film a unique place in pop culture.
3. The Movie Is Poorly Paced
Pacing is another crucial film component that this box office flop couldn’t nail. Some parts of the story move along at a decent pace and have an exciting amount of action. However, other sections drag on far too slowly. Critics often expect a fast pace from superhero movies due to the veritable gold standard set by MCU films. Of course, this expectation probably factored into their dislike of Morbius’ pacing. Nevertheless, even more-forgiving movie fans couldn’t overlook these inconsistencies.
2. Even Jared Leto Has Acknowledged The Memes
Generally speaking, the internet tends to abandon memes once the subject makes themselves part of the conversation. Whether he intended to stifle the discussion or join in on the fun, Jared Leto‘s response to the “It’s Morbin’ Time” memes became a joke in itself. The actor posted a video on Twitter on June 3, featuring himself reading a fiction script called Morbius 2: It’s Morbin’ Time. Many fans found the post hilarious and appreciated the actor’s sense of humor. If even the main star accepts the internet’s hatred of the movie, it gives more credence to its status as a box office flop.
1. Sony Miscalculated The Potential Success of a Rerelease
Movie rereleases are uncommon occurrences in the first place, but it’s even more unusual for studios to deem a box office flop worthy of a rerelease. The Morbius rerelease happened because Sony thought they could capitalize on the popularity of disparaging memes. However, as the second release figures demonstrate, Morbius is now a box office flop twice over. Unfortunately for Sony, fans don’t even think highly enough of the film to hate-watch it. It’s unclear if the titanic failure of this movie will derail any sequel plans, but Morbius will always live in internet infamy.