Maybe the subpar box office performance for “The Marvels,” to echo Thanos’ high opinion of himself, was inevitable. It is a sequel to a movie that came out not just in the previous decade, but in an altogether different era for the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
“Captain Marvel,” which represents Brie Larson’s MCU debut as Carol Danvers, grossed $153.4 million over its opening weekend in 2019. It would eventually top $1 billion in worldwide box office sales. This was to be expected at a time when even middling MCU efforts could easily clear $57 million in the first few days of their release, as “Ant-Man” did months before “Captain Marvel” jetted into theaters.
