The Marvels Headed for Lowest MCU Opening Weekend Box Office Ever

The Marvels is on track to set a new low for Marvel Cinematic Universe openings.

By Jamie Lovett - November 11, 2023 01:27 pm EST

The Marvels will not be flying higher, further, faster but lower than any Marvel Cinematic Universe before it in its opening weekend at the box office. Current estimates suggest the Captain Marvel sequel will earn, at most, $52 million over its first three days, starting with $21.3 million on Friday. That number puts The Marvels below the previous low bar set by The Incredible Hulk's $55.4 million opening weekend back in 2008 when the MCU concept was still in its infancy. Like most of Marvel Studios' post Avengers: Endgame efforts, The Marvels earned a B CinemaScore and mixed reviews from critics. ComicBook.com's Jenna Anderson praised the movie in her review, awarding it 4.5 stars. She writes:

"The 'world outside our window' — both in the MCU and beyond — has changed a lot since Captain Marvel first soared into theaters and grossed over $1 billion in 2019. While things still aren't perfectly balanced, female-led superhero adaptations have become an ever-growing fixture of their respective franchises, as opposed to a bone thrown to viewers every once in a while. Like Carol Danvers herself, and hopefully like many of the movie's viewers, The Marvels seems to understand on an unspoken level that it doesn't have to carry the weight of the world alone. It doesn't have to redefine the entire genre, or represent all of womanhood in less than two hours, or be a perfect segue into the next male-dominated event movie. The movie can just be, in all of the high-octane, silly, sweet, and imperfect glory that that entails. The fact that we've reached that point — and that the MCU still has the ability to effectively tell such a story — is a marvel in and of itself."

The Marvels is playing in theaters now. The full list of the top 10 films at the box office this weekend follows.

1. The Marvels

the-marvels-movie-brie-larson-teyonah-parris-iman-vellani.jpg — (Photo: Marvel Studios)

Opening Weekend
Total: $47 million

In The Marvels, which arrived in theaters on November 10th, Carol Danvers aka Captain Marvel (Brie Larson) has reclaimed her identity from the tyrannical Kree and taken revenge on the Supreme Intelligence. But unintended consequences see Carol shouldering the burden of a destabilized universe. When her duties send her to an anomalous wormhole linked to a Kree revolutionary, her powers become entangled with that of Jersey City super-fan, Kamala Khan (Iman Vellani) aka Ms. Marvel, and Carol's estranged niece, now S.A.B.E.R. astronaut Captain Monica Rambeau (Teyonah Parris). Together, this unlikely trio must team-up and learn to work in concert to save the universe as "The Marvels." The Marvels will also see the franchise returns of Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury, Saagar Shaikh as Aamir Khan, Zenobia Shroff as Muneeba Khan, and Mohan Kapur as Yusuf Khan. New cast members include Zawe Ashton, Park Seo-joon, and Shamier Anderson. Produced by Marvel Studios, The Marvels is directed by Nia DaCosta with a script from DaCosta, Megan McDonnell, and Elissa Karasik.

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2. Five Nights at Freddy's

Week Three
Weekend: $9 million
Total: $127.2 million

A troubled security guard begins working at Freddy Fazbear's Pizzeria. While spending his first night on the job, he realizes the late shift at Freddy's won't be so easy to make it through.

Emma Tammi directed Five Nights at Freddy's from a screenplay she co-wrote with Seth Cuddeback and Scott Cawthon, based on the Cawthon's Five Nights at Freddy's video game series. The movie stars Josh Hutcherson, Elizabeth Lail, Piper Rubio, Mary Stuart Masterson, and Matthew Lillard.

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3. Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour

(Photo: Jeff Kravitz/TAS23/Getty Images for TAS Rights Management)

Week Five
Weekend: $6.5 million
Total: $173.1 million

The cultural phenomenon continues as pop icon Taylor Swift performs hit songs in a once-in-a-lifetime concert experience.

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4. Killers of the Flower Moon

killers-of-the-flower-moon-leonardo-dicaprio-lily-gladstone.jpg — (Photo: Apple Films)

Week Four
Weekend: $5 million
Total: $60.2 million

In the 1920s, members of the Osage Native American tribe of Osage County, Oklahoma, are murdered after oil is found on their land, and the FBI decides to investigate.

Martin Scorsese directed Killers of the Flower Moon and co-wrote its screenplay with Eric Roth, based upon David Grann's 2017 book of the same name. The film stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert De Niro, Lily Gladstone, Jesse Plemons, Tantoo Cardinal, John Lithgow, and Brendan Fraser.

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5. Priscilla

Week Three
Weekend: $4.8 million
Total: $12.7 million

When teenager Priscilla Beaulieu meets Elvis Presley at a party, the man who's already a meteoric rock 'n' roll superstar becomes someone entirely unexpected in private moments: a thrilling crush, an ally in loneliness, and a gentle best friend.

Sofia Coppola directed Priscilla, which is based on Priscilla Presley's 1985 memoir Elvis and Me. The films tars Cailee Spaeny, Jacob Elordi, and Dagmara Domińczyk.

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6. The Holdovers

Week Three
Weekend: $3 million
Total: $4 million

A curmudgeonly instructor at a New England prep school remains on campus during Christmas break to babysit a handful of students with nowhere to go. He soon forms an unlikely bond with a brainy but damaged troublemaker, and with the school's head cook, a woman who just lost a son in the Vietnam War.

Alexander Payne directed The Holdovers from a screenplay by David Hemingson. It stars Paul Giamatti, Da'Vine Joy Randolph, and Dominic Sessa.

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7. Journey to Bethlehem

Opening Weekend
Total: $2.83 million

Classic Christmas melodies and modern pop songs tell the story of a young woman with an unimaginable responsibility, a young man torn between love and honor, and a jealous king.

Adam Anders directed Journey to Bethlehem. It stars Milo Manheim, Fiona Palomo, and Antonio Banderas.

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8. Paw Patrol: The Mighty Movie

Week Seven
Weekend: $1.57 million
Total: $64.3 million

The PAW Patrol pups magically gain superpowers after a meteor strikes Adventure City. However, things take a turn for the worse when Humdinger and a mad scientist steal their powers and turn themselves into supervillains. As the team springs into action to save the city, Skye soon learns that even the smallest pup can make the biggest difference.

Cal Brunker directed PAW Patrol: The Mighty Movie and co-wrote the screenplay with Bob Barlen. The film's voice cast includes Christian Corrao, Luxton Handspiker, Callum Shoniker, Ron Pardo, Mckenna Grace, Taraji P. Henson, Marsai Martin, Christian Convery, Kim Kardashian, North West, Saint West, James Marsden, Kristen Bell, and Finn Lee-Epp.

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9. Radical

Week Two
Weekend: $1.52 million
Total: $64.3 million

Sixth grade students at Jose Urbina Lopez Elementary are among the worst performing students in Mexico, with their world one of violence and hardship, not possibility. It might seem like a dead end, but it's the perfect place for new teacher Sergio Juarez to try something different.

Christopher Zalla wrote and directed Radical, based on the Joshua Davis' article "A Radical Way of Unleashing a Generation of Geniuses," which appeared in a 2013 issue of Wired magazine.

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10. The Exorcist: Believer

Week Six
Weekend: $1.1 million
Total: $64.9 million

When his daughter, Angela, and her friend Katherine, show signs of demonic possession, it unleashes a chain of events that forces single father Victor Fielding to confront the nadir of evil. Terrified and desperate, he seeks out Chris MacNeil, the only person alive who's witnessed anything like it before.

David Gordon Green directed The Exorcist: Believer and co-wrote its screenplay with Peter Sattler, based on a story he developed with Scott Teems and Danny McBride. It stars Leslie Odom Jr., Ann Dowd, Jennifer Nettles, Norbert Leo Butz, Lidya Jewett, Olivia Marcum, Ellen Burstyn, and Linda Blair.

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