The Marvel Cinematic Universe is always growing, thanks to both movies and shows that are available with a Disney+ subscription. And while it continues to be a major franchise, those of us who have spent years watching the Marvel movies in order have seen a downward trend regarding how much money each new movie makes. Iman Vellani recently got asked about The Marvels’ historically bad box office, and she did not hold back, even being quoted saying “That’s for Bob Iger.” Let’s break it all down.
A number of recent MCU installments have been underperforming at the box office, including Ant-Man 3 and (most recently) The Marvels, which had the lowest opening weekend performance of the entire shared universe. Ms. Marvel actress Iman Vellani was asked by Yahoo! about the new movie’s financials, saying:
I don't want to focus on something that's not even in my control, because what's the point? That's for Bob Iger.
She’s not wrong. The actors of the MCU aren’t the people in charge, and therefore it’s not really in their job description to fret over box office. Still, The Marvels might barely make $100 million domestically, which is super low for the shared universe. And some fans are concerned about superhero fatigue.
Later in that same interview, Vellani further explained the way she looks at her job, and how it is or isn’t connected to the box office performance of projects like The Marvels. She got a ton of praise for her performance as Kamala Khan, and is expected to reprise that role in another upcoming Marvel movie. Vellani shared her thoughts, saying:
[The box office] has nothing to do with me. I'm happy with the finished product, and the people that I care about enjoyed the film. It's genuinely a good time watching this movie, and that's all we can ask for with these films. It has superheroes, it takes place in space, it's not that deep and it's about teamwork and sisterhood. It's a fun movie, and I'm just so happy that I can share it with people.
She’s not wrong. The latest Marvel movie was definitely a fun romp, and The Marvels even had the shortest runtime of the entire MCU. The tone was quirky and comedic, which also helped it actually fly by in theaters. But we’ll have to see if its box office performance impacts what’s coming next in the shared universe.
The ending of The Marvels teased some thrilling updates for the MCU as a whole. We saw Teyonah Parris’ Monica Rambeau seemingly transported into an alternative universe, one where the X-Men exist. Additionally, it was revealed that Ms. Marvel is reaching out to some of the younger heroes, seemingly in hopes of forming the Young Avengers.
The Marvels is in theaters now and the next MCU movie hitting theaters is Deadpool 3 on July 26th, 2024. In the meantime, check out the 2024 movie release dates to plan your next movie experience.
