Intro to All-Female Superhero Films
Superhero movies are stealing the limelight in Hollywood, especially those from Marvel Studios. But, some recent all-female lead superhero flicks like The Marvels, Birds of Prey, and Madame Web, have had a bumpy ride at the box office.
The Marvels’ Box Office Blues
They hoped The Marvels, with star Brie Larson, would be a big hit. After all, it follows the mega-successful Captain Marvel movie. But, hope turned to shock when it earned only $206 million. With a heavy budget of $274 million, it didn’t cover its costs. Now, The Marvels carries the title of the worst-performing Marvel film.
Public Opinions are Split
After one user on platform X labeled The Marvels, Birds of Prey, and Madame Web as the biggest superhero disappointments, fans got talking. Some agreed with the negative review, other die-hard fans jumped to the movies’ defense. Despite the heated discussions, one thing’s for sure – these all-female films didn’t rock the box office like expected.
What Led to the Underperformance?
Some argue these superhero films tanked because they feature all-female actors, but that’s not fair. You can’t overlook other aspects that could have caused their low performance. For instance, despite the bad box office returns, some audience members loved Birds of Prey and The Marvels. These might even become cult classics for a certain audience.
Looking into Variety’s suggestions, Birds of Prey might have sunk because the film didn’t highlight Harley Quinn’s unique brand. Plus, its release before the pandemic didn’t help, and with an R-rating, it couldn’t reach young audience.
As for Madame Web, they suspect poor writing quality pushed audiences away. Sony’s Spider-Man Universe films like Morbius and Venom also faced criticism for their storytelling, hinting at a pattern here.
Box Office Fails, But Still on Stream
Despite their struggles, you can still watch these films at home. Check out The Marvels on Disney+, Birds of Prey on Max, and Madame Web on Netflix.
Making Sense of Box Office Slumps
Blaming the lukewarm reception of these all-female superhero films on their female actors is too simple. Many factors made things tough for these movies, like their release timing, age restrictions, and storytelling flaws. There are lessons to take from this experience that could help future films.
There might be bumps in the road for all-female superhero films right now. But if they learn from these hitches and make smart moves, they can bounce back and break new grounds in the superhero film genre.
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