You can make a compelling case that when it comes to hotly-hyped blockbuster movies, apathy is often a lot worse than outrage. With that in mind, The Marvels could be facing an even trickier battle than the incessant trolling and review-bombing that dogged its predecessor.
Of course, the grudge that certain quarters of the Marvel Cinematic Universe fandom hold against the upcoming sequel hasn’t entirely gone away, with the fact Brie Larson’s second solo adventure is the most-disliked trailer in franchise history on YouTube proof enough. And yet, based on the box office tracking, it won’t even have the cushion of guaranteed earning power to fall back on.
Whereas Captain Marvel opened to $153 million domestically and soared to over $1.1 billion globally, The Marvels will be lucky if it makes half of that through its first three days. At the lower end of the scale, anything below $55 million would make it the lowest-grossing debut for any MCU feature to date, which would be disastrous for its 33rd installment.
It’s already looking impossible for Nia DaCosta’s cosmic team-up to even come within touching distance of a billion, but the overall malaise to have affected the MCU since the advent of the Multiverse Saga could end up hurting The Marvels more than any trolls ever could.
A Reddit thread questioning why it’s generating so much hate opened the doors to a myriad of responses, but perhaps the most damning was one that stated “I’m seeing less hate compared to Captain Marvel and more indifference.” Vitriol didn’t stop the opener from becoming a monumental success, but a shrug of the shoulders could prove to be exponentially more damaging.