When Iron Man was first released in 2008, Kevin Feige and Marvel Studios had the idea of crafting a cinematic universe of connected stories, much like the stories that took place within Marvel Comics. At the time, Iron Man was not yet a household name, and Robert Downey Jr. was still considered a risk in Hollywood for the things he’d done in the past. So, when the movie proved to be a hit both among critics and at the box office, it was a surprise to everyone. With its big-name characters spread out among other studios, Marvel had managed to do something no one thought possible. It had successfully created the Marvel Cinematic Universe with its B-list heroes, and people were responding to it.
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Fast forward a few years, following the success of Iron Man, Marvel continued to flesh out the Marvel Cinematic Universe with movies based on the Incredible Hulk, Captain America, and Thor. In time, as Marvel prepared to launch The Avengers, the heroes that were once viewed as B-list would soon come to be known as Marvel Studios’ pride and joy at the box office. It was almost as if each new movie following The Avengers was bound for box office success. Each new installment continued to outperform its predecessor, with box office records continually being broken and films often surpassing the $1 billion mark at the worldwide box office.
In fact, it was standard for Marvel Studios to have at least one film within the top 10 on the worldwide box office charts annually. Then COVID-19 hit, and that seemingly changed everything for Marvel Studios. The Marvel Cinematic Universe was once considered the standard for which studios needed to follow when it came to superhero stories. After all, up until the pandemic, Marvel Studios continued to dominate the box office with each new installment of its massive cinematic universe. However, as the studio’s output dwindled due to the pandemic, that soon changed, and by the time Marvel Studios resumed its output, it had sought to release too much content in an incredibly short time period that people were tired of having to follow television shows in order to understand the films.
The Current State of the Marvel Cinematic Universe
Cut forward to now. This year, Marvel Studios has released three movies: Captain America: Brave New World, Thunderbolts*, and Fantastic Four: The First Steps. While Brave New World received mixed reactions from critics and fans alike, both Thunderbolts* and Fantastic Four were well received, with both films earning some of the best reviews for the studio in recent years. Unfortunately, though, none of the films performed all that well at the box office. Captain America: Brave New World only took in $415 million worldwide, while Thunderbolts* only earned $382.4 million worldwide at the box office. Both are less than ideal, but it was expected that Fantastic Four would succeed where both films had failed. In a way, Fantastic Four is doing far better than those movies, as it’s currently at $491 million worldwide. Still, this year will mark the first time since 2011 that the Marvel Cinematic Universe has not had a movie in the top 10 on the worldwide box office charts.
As it stands, Captain America: Brave New World and Fantastic Four: The First Steps are currently ranked 9th and 10th. However, both are bound to be overtaken by films like Wicked: For Good and Avatar: Fire and Ash when they release later this year. It’s a hard fall for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, a cinematic universe that has dominated the box office for almost two decades now. Although the Marvel Cinematic Universe continues to be popular, the franchise just isn’t reaching the heights it once did at the box office. That isn’t to say the Marvel Cinematic Universe can’t reclaim its title, of course. There’s still plenty reason to be excited for what Marvel Studios has planned going forward, especially with the upcoming Avengers: Doomsday.
However, it’s safe to say that since the conclusion of the Infinity Saga, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has not quite been the same in regard to its reign. It was once viewed as the standard, one many studios hoped to be able to replicate with their own shared universes. With its box office dominance no longer, though, the Marvel Cinematic Universe is just another comic book franchise on the big screen. One can only hope that, with Marvel Studios taking note of its missteps and choosing to focus on quality over quantity going forward, that the studio will soon find itself back on top. While the Marvel Cinematic Universe may have an unwanted box office record for the first time in over a decade, the future of the long-running franchise still appears bright.
Marvel Studios’ Fantastic Four: The First Steps is now playing in theaters, while fans can currently enjoy both Captain America: Brave New World and Thunderbolts* now on Disney+.
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