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It’s been a tough year for the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), which had four theatrical releases in 2023, as it struggles to find its footing. The MCU’s most recent film, The Marvels, was a box-office bomb, grossing US$205 million, falling short of its target by more than half.
Despite having stars like Park Seo-Joon (Itaewon Class), Brie Larson (Captain Marvel), and breakout star Iman Vellani (Ms Marvel ), the film chooses to waste its star power on scenes that cheapen the story it tries to tell, perhaps contributing to why The Marvels performed so poorly at the box office. After Universal pulled ahead of Disney in an unexpected first in 2023’s total box office sales, the The Marvels becoming the MCU’s lowest grossing film is another blow for the Mouse.
“A lot of time and effort was spent on fixing, both contending with certain decisions made in the recent past, and addressing the numerous challenges brought on by disruption and the pandemic,” said Disney CEO Bob Iger, who promised the company would focus on improving the quality of its projects while reducing its output.
Whether the MCU will be able to regain its peak hype since Avengers: Endgame remains to be seen, with Phase 5 of the MCU having recently kicked off. The second part of the Multiverse Saga was kicked off by Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, and will close with the Mahershala Ali-led Blade reboot in 2025. Deadpool 3, the next entry in the lineup and the only one slated for 2024, may finally be the much-needed boost for Disney and Marvel Studios, as it features the highly-anticipated return of Ryan Reynold’s Deadpool and Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine — among others, including an iconic X-Men villain, Elektra, and Negasonic Warhead.
Trinity is a geek who enjoys watching anime, superhero and Sci-Fi movies and TV shows. She enjoys gaming (however has terrible gacha luck) and creates cool homebrew campaigns in her free time. She’s always up for a new adventure — with a cosy jacket and a good book in hand.
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