The MCU’s Biggest Box Office Bomb Is Way Better Than It Gets Credit For

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Following the massive success of the first movie – which earned over $1 billion – the disappointing box office performance of The Marvels was a letdown. While several things likely played a role, the film itself is actually a solid and enjoyable watch.

In The Marvels, Captain Marvel teams up with two other women who have similar powers, resulting in a rare superhero film with multiple female leads. Despite not performing well at the box office, the movie has many qualities that suggest it deserves a better reputation.

The Marvels Is The MCU’s Lowest-Grossing Movie

Ultimately, The Marvels earned a little over $206 million worldwide. This is significantly less than the $1.1 billion Captain Marvel made in 2019.

It’s important to remember that Captain Marvel‘s box office success benefited from being released between the hugely popular Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, when excitement for Marvel movies was at its highest. The Marvels simply wasn’t expected to perform at that same level.

While Black Panther: Wakanda Forever didn’t reach the $1 billion mark like the first Black Panther, and Spider-Man remains the only Marvel franchise reliably hitting that milestone, $206 million is a pretty low result for The Marvels.

With those numbers, The Marvels has the lowest box office earnings of any Marvel Cinematic Universe movie. It performed even worse than The Incredible Hulk, which came out before the franchise became popular and wasn’t considered a core part of the MCU by many fans for a long time.

The Marvels Is Led By A Great Trio Of Stars

While the box office numbers for The Marvels weren’t great, people who saw the movie praise certain aspects of it. The biggest strength is the fantastic performance from the three leading actresses.

Brie Larson, Iman Vellani, and Teyonah Parrish have wonderful chemistry together. It’s delightful to watch them interact in every scene, and especially heartwarming to see their connection grow as they get to know each other.

Larson’s won an Emmy and an Oscar, Parris consistently delivers strong performances, and Vellani is known for being incredibly charming in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Seeing all three of them together on screen is truly captivating.

The director, Nia DaCosta, is incredibly talented, even though some of her films haven’t been huge box office successes. She consistently creates high-quality movies, as seen in films like 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, Candyman, Little Woods, Hedda, and now The Marvels. The skill extends beyond just the actors you see on screen – DaCosta herself is a true creative force.

Being A Sub-Two Hour Superhero Movie Is A Welcome Change

A surprising aspect of The Marvels is how short it is. At just over 100 minutes long, it’s significantly shorter than most modern superhero movies.

We’re now seeing superhero movies that are incredibly long – like the three-hour Avengers: Endgame, a four-hour version of Justice League, and many others that easily stretch past two and a half hours.

The fast pace is a good thing, and it’s nice to see a game move quickly. However, adding just 5 to 10 minutes – or even up to two hours – could have allowed for more development in a few areas.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe appears to have taken note of this, as every movie since has been longer, but none have exceeded 128 minutes. While upcoming films like Avengers: Doomsday will likely be longer, this runtime seems perfect for smaller-scale superhero stories.

There Are Cool Concepts In The Action Scenes

The action in The Marvels has some interesting ideas. While the fight scenes aren’t as strong as those in the best Marvel movies, the film cleverly uses creativity to make them work well.

These heroes are united by a strange problem: using their powers accidentally swaps their bodies. This leads to comical and unexpected situations, constantly creating new and interesting challenges for them.

The movie includes a classic training montage – always fun to watch – where Carol, Monica, and Kamala practice working together. This preparation allows them to switch places effortlessly during the final fight.

Adding Goose the cat allows the movie to explore some really fun and imaginative ideas. While the action isn’t particularly innovative, The Marvels does enough of it well to be a genuinely enjoyable film.

The Post-Credits Scene Is Very Important

While The Marvels didn’t perform well at the box office, many Marvel fans who skipped it may have missed out on a surprisingly important story. Though it mostly stands on its own, the film actually connects to the larger MCU in significant ways.

Right before the episode ends, Kamala meets Kate Bishop and asks her to become part of a team. This moment echoes Nick Fury recruiting Tony Stark in the first Iron Man movie, and it hints that we might see a team of Young Avengers form in the future.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe is introducing a lot of young heroes like Kamala Khan, Kate Bishop (who hasn’t appeared since Hawkeye), America Chavez, Cassie Lang, Skaar, Billy and Tommy Maximoff, and Kid Loki, suggesting these characters will play a bigger role in future stories.

But the real kicker? Don’t leave the theater the second the credits roll! We’re thrown into a completely different universe where Monica… well, she finds her mother alive. And get this – Kelsey Grammer is back as Beast, reprising the role he made famous in those early 2000s X-Men films. It’s a huge moment that really sets things up for what could be a wild ride going forward.

Now that Kelsey Grammer has joined the cast of Avengers: Doomsday with original X-Men actors like Patrick Stewart, Halle Berry, James Marsden, Rebecca Romijn, and Ian McKellen, it’s confirmed they’re all returning. This makes the ending of The Marvels particularly important, as it will likely set up the events of the new movie.

Despite its disappointing performance in theaters, The Marvels is actually a strong and overlooked film within the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

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2026-04-05 19:02