The Marvel Cinematic Universe has found itself caught in such a funk that not even its acclaimed projects have been able to shake off the ever-growing sense of apathy, with Loki season 2’s debut on the Nielsen streaming ratings coming with a very noticeable caveat.
While there have obviously been exceptions to the rule since the Multiverse Saga began, they’re becoming fewer and further between. Things have gotten so dicey that The Marvels is by no means guaranteed to succeed to the expected levels at the box office, and Tom Hiddleston’s enduringly beloved trickster is far from immune, either.
As the first-ever of the MCU’s Disney Plus exclusives to receive a second run of episodes – never mind one that followed up an acclaimed first season and featured a franchise stalwart in the lead role – it wouldn’t be unreasonable to expect Loki to have improved upon its predecessor in terms of viewership.
And yet, having accrued 446 million minutes of viewing time across its first three days, the numbers have plummeted by 39 percent compared to the 731 million minutes of the opener’s opening stretch. On the other side of the coin, though, maybe it isn’t that bad if you make an apples-to-origins comparison.
Should The Marvels earn 39 percent less than Captain Marvel from theaters, then it would take home $690 million, which wouldn’t be an outright disaster all things considered. Then again, Loki hasn’t been subjected to an ongoing campaign of negativity, but the evidence keeps piling up that Marvel has to do something to stem the tide of discontent.