When Marvel Studios unveiled “The Eternals” towards the end of 2021, they believed they were kickstarting a new franchise comparable to the Avengers. As reported by Variety, Kumail Nanjiani, one of the lead actors in “The Eternals,” committed to an extensive six-film agreement spanning over a decade. This deal includes roles in a video game and a potential theme park attraction as well.
Marvel believed this was the foundation of a bold new era. They were oh-so-very wrong.
Kumail Nanjiani reveals that he agreed to appear in six Marvel films after being chosen to play the role of superhero Kingo within Marvel’s “Eternals” movie.
The reception was disappointing, with poor reviews and less-than-ideal performance. It left me feeling devastated. At that point, I realized I needed professional help through therapy to work through my feelings.
— Variety (@Variety) August 24, 2025
Instead, Eternals is known for being Marvel’s initial significant stumble – the film that marked a break in the studio’s previously unbreakable reputation. And the tale of Marvel and Kumail Nanjiani demonstrates how much Disney-owned Marvel underestimated the situation.
Marvel’s Overconfidence
Marvel spared no expense in producing Eternals. They enlisted Academy Award-winning director Chloé Zhao, gathered an extensive ensemble including Angelina Jolie, Richard Madden, Gemma Chan, and Nanjiani, plus Kumail Nanjiani. With a budget close to $236 million, they invested significantly in the film’s production. Disney promoted the movie as a high-end event, presenting it as the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s upcoming epic saga.
Offstage, performers were informed about a multi-year endeavor. This translated into a decade-long Marvel contract for Kumail Nanjiani, along with six distinct ventures. However, Marvel’s aspirations were grounded on a base that eventually proved insufficient to bear the load.
The Representation Hype
Right from its inception, Eternals was marketed not so much as a typical superhero tale, but rather as a significant cultural landmark. The cast and team behind the production often referred to the movie less as pure entertainment and more as a groundbreaking social accomplishment.
Haaz Sleiman, the actor behind Phastos’ husband in the movie, garnered attention by referring to it as “a life-affirming production.
He exclaimed that it’s more than just a fulfillment of a dream; it’s lifesaving. If only he’d had this as a child, he mused. Imagine the number of lives it will save!
As a cinephile who’s always got an eye on the pulse of cinema, I can’t help but share my thoughts on the aftermath of our movie’s release: “Seems like we’ve managed to stir up some feelings among the more traditional viewers.” It’s all due to the film’s forward-thinking approach, which seemed to rub certain groups the wrong way. And lo and behold, shortly after I made this observation, our picture began to falter at the box office as those very individuals chose not to purchase tickets.
The meaning was undeniable: Eternals wasn’t merely a film; it was a powerful declaration. Various Hollywood publications resonated with this sentiment, lauding its diverse ensemble and milestones in representation. However, when viewers finally watched the movie, not many felt the same level of excitement.
From Game-Changer to Rotten Tomatoes First
Despite all the persuasive talk in the world, unfortunately, the end result couldn’t escape criticism. Opinions were split among critics, and for the first time in Marvel Cinematic Universe history, a film received a “rotten” rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with an abysmal 47% approval. Metacritic wasn’t much more forgiving, awarding it a mediocre score of 52 out of 100. On Criticless, the movie even garnered a 28% Bogus rating.
The movie was labeled as “ambitiously complex, yet confusingly structured.” The numerous characters made it challenging to establish an emotional bond with any single character. The tempo moved too slowly. Additionally, the narrative seemed detached from the broader Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). Instead of introducing a groundbreaking new chapter, it appeared overly expansive and lacking in direction.
Even the usually favorable Vanity Fair stated bluntly that “Chloe Zhao’s Eternals” lacked vitality.
The Box Office Reality
In financial terms, the movie Eternals didn’t turn out to be an all-out catastrophe, but it fell far short of being a hit. The film earned approximately $402.1 million globally, which seems substantial at first glance. However, after accounting for marketing expenses and considering a production budget of around $236 million, most analysts concluded that Disney probably incurred losses.
Instead of that, consider this rephrased version: In contrast to movies like “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” and “Spider-Man: No Way Home”, which were released recently and exceeded predictions, “Eternals” didn’t resonate as much with audiences. While it seems that Marvel’s fan base remained loyal at this point (though a decline was imminent), the audience simply did not find the same connection with “Eternals”.
For a studio that had come to expect billion-dollar hits, this was a humiliation.
The Marvel Fallout for Kumail Nanjiani
Acting in “Eternals” wasn’t just an ordinary job for Kumail Nanjiani; he invested a significant portion of his professional journey into the character of Kingo. This role, after all, came with a six-film Marvel contract, ensuring a span of consistent work and substantial cultural impact over several years.
Instead, he discovered himself bound to Marvel’s initial critically panned movie. In open conversations, Nanjiani confessed that the criticism had a devastating impact on him. On Mike Birbiglia’s podcast, he disclosed that he turned to therapy to manage his feelings of disappointment.
Kumail Nanjiani says he started going to therapy over the bad reviews for #Eternals
“I was too aware of it … I was reading every review … I worked so hard for it”
— Culture Crave 🍿 (@CultureCrave) February 7, 2024
After waiting for nearly one and a half years, believing that its release would mark a significant shift, he stated. Yet, when it was finally unveiled, it received poor criticisms and flopped. In time, he understood that he required counseling to help him cope with the disappointment.
Marvel has since shifted focus, with minimal references made to the Eternals characters since 2021. The ambitious plans for sequels, spin-offs, and cross-overs featuring these characters have been put on hold in a more discreet manner. In a swift transformation, Kumail Nanjiani’s prominent role within Marvel has dwindled down significantly.
The Bigger Picture: Marvel’s Decline
Looking back, it seems that the movie “Eternals” might have been an early indicator of changes to come for Marvel. For more than a decade, Marvel was almost unbeatable in the entertainment world. However, with “Eternals,” there were signs of potential issues. The audience didn’t immediately embrace it, and critical acclaim wasn’t guaranteed as it once was.
In a similar fashion, issues reappeared in both “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” and “The Marvels,” but they didn’t perform well financially at the box office. This led to a decline in fan trust. Moreover, Marvel’s persistent focus on promoting identity politics over compelling storylines seemed to increase the disparity between the studio’s marketing promises and the audience’s reactions.
Final Thoughts
The deal that actor Kumail Nanjiani signed for six films in the Marvel’s Eternals series serves as a testament to how off-base Marvel initially was in their assessment of both market demands and their audience preferences. Initially, cast members asserted grandiose statements about potentially saving lives and instigating controversy among the right groups. However, the movie ultimately struggled critically and financially upon release.
1. Instead of achieving stardom, Kumail Nanjiani opted for therapy.
2. The fallout from Marvel’s movie meant the loss of their seemingly unbeatable reputation.
3. For viewers, it underscored that even extensive Hollywood moralizing couldn’t mask a dull narrative.
Initially, Eternals was envisioned as the commencement of a grand chapter. However, it could potentially be marked as the point where Marvel’s dominance started to wane.
Read More
- Don’t Miss the BBC Proms 2025: Full Schedule Revealed!
- EUR JPY PREDICTION
- Nobody 2 Streaming Release Date Rumors: When’s It Coming Out on Peacock?
- All New Items in Abiotic Factor 1.0
- Ozzy Osbourne and the Memecoin Madness: When Death Becomes a Crypto Trend
- USD JPY PREDICTION
- Gold Rate Forecast
- One Piece’s Anime Unveils First Look at the Final Saga’s Best Scene
- USD TRY PREDICTION
- KCS PREDICTION. KCS cryptocurrency
2025-08-25 18:59