Disney Should Carefully Consider It’s Marvel Ventures, and Here’s Why.

Recently, the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) has experienced a bit of a rollercoaster ride. The good news is that their latest film release, “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania,” broke records over President’s Day weekend with $120.4 million in total box office earnings – making it this year’s highest earner!

Miss out at your own peril! According to Warner Bros CEO, HBO product has no worth. Unfortunately, the box office tally over last weekend amounted to a disheartening $32.2 million – an alarming 69.7% decrease from before.

This is the second biggest decline in Marvel’s Cinematic Universe history, and one of the most significant drops for any movie that earned more than $100 million during its opening weekend.

Are People Tired Of Marvel?

So what exactly happened here?

While it remains difficult to anticipate what people may enjoy and the reasons why, there are some potential justifications for this phenomenon.

With 31 films and five phases of Marvel, one could assume that people may have had enough. Yet with four movies making the highest grossing list for last year, it’s hard to deny that this franchise still has a great following!

The “Ant-Man” films, featuring Paul Rudd, have typically had a lighter and more comedic tone than the other MCU movies (even the director Peyton Reed has said they are like “palette cleansers“) so it’s understandable that this film may not come off as essential. As tickets become increasingly costly at movie theaters – with prices spiking for opening weekends or big franchises – it makes sense to go find something less significant to your wallet but just as enjoyable. With inflation taking a toll on budgets everywhere, some MCU fans may have chosen to wait for the movie’s release on Disney+ in just a few weeks. However, if you’re looking for an unforgettable experience and want to be among the first to see this highly-anticipated film, then head over to your nearest theater now!

The Hollywood Reporter has pointed out that there’s a growing competitive market to win over the “young male audience” when it comes to superhero movies and blockbusters. It doesn’t look like this is going away anytime soon; since its release, Avatar: The Way of Water continues on its path towards becoming the highest grossing film ever. Cocaine Bear also left an impression by earning $23 million during its debut weekend – not bad for a self-explanatory action comedy!

Quality Still Matters

Or maybe the problem is that the movie is bad, according to some fans.

Although opinions were split on “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania,” most reviews leaned positive. However, those who loathed it absolutely despised the movie; Twitter chatter was scathing. Fans argued that the allure of its predecessors along with Paul Rudd’s effortless appeal had been diminished in a sea of dismal CGI effects, creating an overall feeling of futility.

Marvel does not produce films like “Avengers: Endgame” (which grossed $2.79 billion in its theatrical run) each year, yet still recently experienced a setback with the release of last year’s movie “Thor: Love and Thunder,” leaving followers and critics concerned that the Marvel Cinematic Universe is currently stuck in a rut.

It remains unknown whether this is only a temporary setback or if the Marvel Cinematic Universe has seen its day in public consciousness, with diehard fans now keeping it going. Disney still has two upcoming MCU films planned for 2021: “Guardians of Galaxy Vol. 3” scheduled to be released in May and “The Marvels,” the continuation of Captain Marvel’s storyline set for July. If these movies don’t bring about success equal or surpassing that which was expected before, then perhaps Disney will have to reevaluate how they approach their most commercially-successful franchise later on down the road.