‘The Marvels’ Had the MCU’s Worst Opening Weekend and It Deserved Better

 

I caught and quite enjoyed Marvel Studios’ The Marvels Friday night … but I guess not a lot of people did.

Deadline reports that the film – directed by Nia DaCosta and starring Brie Larson, Teyonah Parris, Iman Vellani and Samuel L. Jackson – is posting a $47 million three-day opening, which is the worst opening weekend in the history of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. And with a $200 million+ budget, one has to imagine that Kevin Feige and the key stakeholders at Marvel Studios are putting plans in place to ensure it’s only up from here.

But here’s the thing – The Marvels is actually pretty good, and is absolutely not deserving of the “worst opening” distinction. It’s far from the worst Marvel project released this year, even! 

Yeah, that’s right! I liked it! And judging by its 62% Tomatometer Score and 85% Audience Score on Rotten Tomatoes as of this writing, I’m not alone. It’s fun, has a lot of Marvel wackiness that I tend to enjoy, and the three titular Marvels shine. But with all its interstellar action and kinetic power-swapping fight scenes, it somehow feels small for a Marvel movie, so the folks clamoring for the next Avengers: Endgame-level epic will find nothing like that here (although my theater ERUPTED during a certain character’s mid-credit scene appearance). But it is just “pretty good” in my eyes, and it wouldn’t crack my MCU Top 10 or even come close to it. That’s fine.

If the movie is actually enjoyable, though, then what exactly went wrong? Some will say the brand recognition for Captain Marvel, Ms. Marvel and Monica Rambeau isn’t very strong, and that it’s asking a lot of casual fans to expect them to absorb two or three different streaming series to understand how we got to this point (in reality, the film does a pretty good job bringing people up to speed). Some will also note that the SAG-AFTRA strike ended just one day prior to the film’s release, which didn’t really allow for the type of media blitz and celebrity appearances that this type of film typically entails. And, still, there will be those out there – you know the type – who will say that people don’t want female-led blockbusters and that Marvel Studios’ “pandering” has caught up with them, even though Barbie and Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour proved otherwise in big, big, sparkly ways.

My hypothesis? If a film isn’t publicly perceived as a massive cultural event, which was the case for Barbie, Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour, Oppenheimer and, more recently, Five Nights at Freddy’s, audiences will choose to skip the theater and remain in the comfort of their home because it’s A) cheaper and B) where they can see everything eventually by employing a small amount of patience. The economy still stinks, movie tickets are more expensive than ever, and the options people have for entertainment at home are staggering. Unless any of those factors change, “pretty good” superhero movies like The Marvels will continue to struggle finding those Endgame audiences, perpetuating the false narrative that the MCU is “dead” and that the only way to save it is to either bring back the original Avengers roster – including deceased characters Iron Man and Black Widow – or to reboot the universe entirely. I hate both of those options, for the record. I think it boils down to making bigger swings in theaters and reserving “smaller” stories that don’t have universe-shattering implications for streaming. Audiences have changed since 2019.

But as I said earlier, The Marvels is fun, and if you’re able to cut through the static and the negative press, you’ll find an entertaining movie that’s full of heart. The MCU is alive and well, despite those reports of its demise, but their theatrical strategy is still struggling to adapt to a post-COVID, pro-streaming entertainment landscape. Slowing down – both for the benefit of the audience as well as the people working behind the scenes – and strategically building to must-see theatrical events could be the key to saving the universe … at the box office, at least.

 

‘Spider-Man 2’ is My Game of the Year

 SPOILERS AHEAD

As someone with limited “free time,” I’m not ashamed to admit that I completed Insomniac Games’ Spider-Man 2 twice since its Oct. 20 release. Yes, I’m aware that was only two weeks ago as of this writing, and yes, I’m aware that there are other games out there worthy of my time, including Baldur’s Gate 3 and the spectacular-by-all-accounts Super Mario Bros. Wonder on Nintendo Switch. I’ll get to those, surely, but after an initial jaunt through Insomniac’s lovingly crafted Marvel epic, I needed to swing through it again. But I had a legitimate reason to run it back … honest.

Last week, after spending just a few hours with the game, I vowed to take my time with it. But, of course, certain story and gameplay elements – nearly all of which involved some ridiculously fun, slimy, Symbiote powers – compelled me onward. I ignored prompts to explore optional side stories as I launched myself toward an inevitable and emotional confrontation with Venom/Harry Osborn. Ignoring chances to gain and upgrade abilities for both Peter Parker and Miles Morales (including those tied to health, enemy damage and all-important Focus meters), I haphazardly turned a relatively straightforward action-adventure game into a white-knuckle Dark Souls-like experience. I made it through the story on the default Amazing difficulty, but with no shortage of expletives or urges to hurl my controller across the room. The thrill of completion (which happened 3 a.m. last Wednesday, by the way), quickly turned to regret, as my desire to complete the game before it got spoiled for me on social media robbed me of the fun I could have had with it. Congratulations, Past James, you played yourself.

So, the next night, I started a new game determined to explore as much of the optional content as I could and to level up both Spider-Men accordingly. I was introduced to a pre-Symbiote Cletus Kasady. I helped a woman find and reconnect with her grandfather. I experienced the world as Miles’ Deaf love interest Hailey, in one of the coolest and most thoughtful side missions I’ve ever played. Oh, and I also saved New York City and the world from alien slime monsters. All in a work for your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man(s).

I’m certain we’ll get more content via DLC, as was the case with 2018’s Spider-Man, and perhaps we’ll even get a shorter follow-up like Insomniac’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales, which brought the franchise to the PS5 for the first time. But even as it stands, Spider-Man 2 is my favorite game in this series and, for me, is the best game of 2023. From the intricate story to the satisfying traversal to the ways in which the combat gets increasingly fun the more you play, I have not had more fun with any other game this year. And I might even play through it again before the New Year. 

 Granted, I’m wearing Spider-Man socks and staring at a shelf of Spider-Man action figures as I type this, so take all of this with a massive grain of Spider-Salt before you come at me on X (formerly Twitter). Thwip, thwip.