How did Barbie, Mario, and Christopher Nolan Defeat Marvel in 2023?
Marvel Cinematic Universe has been facing a decline in box office collection and critical reception this year compared to the previous year. Last year, movies like Jurassic World Dominion, James Cameron's Avatar: The Way of Water, and Top Gun: Maverick featuring Tom Cruise performed better than Marvel movies. This year, Marvel has again suffered a setback in popularity and success.
Like last year, none of the three Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) movies made it to this year's top three highest-grossing movies. All three 3 MCU movies released this year had high expectations and potential. Today, we will discuss potential reasons for the decline of MCU in box office and critical reception.
Franchise Fatigue
Franchise Fatigue is a term used to describe a situation where the audience loses interest in a movie series. Patrick Dougherty from Movieweb recently discussed this phenomenon by focusing on the Toy Story franchise and how it affected the spin-off movie Lightyear. Grossing only $226.4 million worldwide against a $200 million production budget, Lightyear was considered a box office failure, resulting in the studio losing an estimated $106 million.
Audiences can experience what is known as "franchise fatigue" when they feel that the frequency of film releases makes them formulaic or repetitive, thereby diminishing the excitement and novelty. Criticism of MCU movies for being formulaic is not new. Since Phase 2, critics have noticed "The Marvel Pattern" in the MCU movies. For instance, Ted Najer of Movieweb analyzed the MCU and observed that Age of Ultron, Thor: Ragnarok, and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness followed the same screenplay pattern with different heroes, directors, and stories. This begs the question: why would audiences pay to see different movies set in the same Universe with different cast and crew but feel all the same? Audiences and critics' reception of a movie plays a significant role. If a film doesn't resonate well with the target audience or fails to meet their expectations, it may not perform as well at the box office.
The Movie Ticket Cost
The number of moviegoers in North America has reduced since the pandemic. According to Statista, the average movie ticket cost in the United States is predicted to be $10.45 in 2023. In Canada, half of the people who go to the movies said they are hesitant to return to theaters in 2022 due to the high cost of tickets. Meanwhile, Disney+ (with Ads) costs only $7.99 per month. This means that families and groups of friends can enjoy a vast range of content, including Marvel, Disney Originals, and Star Wars, from the comfort of their homes. It begs the question, why would anyone spend $10.45 per person and go to a movie theater? Additionally, Disney's current release structure entails showing movies in theaters for a month or two and then releasing them on Disney+. This approach discourages fans from going to the theaters.
Quality VS Quantity
An overwhelming amount of films, series, and television specials have been released in the past fifteen years as part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). As a result, it can be difficult for someone new to catch up with everything happening. While some fans may appreciate the abundance of content, Marvel prioritizes quantity over quality. Many of the films follow a similar formula, only with different actors. Marvel Studios relies heavily on famous character cameos and action sequences with heavy visual effects, which has led to a decline in the quality of storytelling. On the other hand, movies like Logan, The Dark Knight, and Spider-Man 2 are still considered some of the best superhero movies of all time because they explored themes, storylines, and approaches previously unexplored in the genre. The MCU could benefit from taking a similar approach.
Strong Competition
The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) has dominated the box office since its start in 2008. Still, other franchises like Jurassic Park, Fast & Furious, James Bond, and Star Wars have remained popular and successful. Fans have been quick to flock to theaters for movies directed by acclaimed directors such as James Cameron, Christopher Nolan, Peter Jackson, and Steven Spielberg.
Nolan's Oppenheimer focused on delivering high-quality storytelling that delves into unique themes and incorporates visually stunning styles not commonly seen in the cinema industry. The Super Mario movie was a delightful treat for fans worldwide who have played video games their entire lives. Lastly, Barbie was brought to life through the fantastic performance of Margot Robbie and outstanding direction.
In 2022, Screen Rant declared DC's Peacemaker the best comic book show. As a result, MCU will need to develop a new approach to keep up with the tough competition.
The Sole Winner
Chris Pratt is the only actor consistently successful at the Box Office this year. He not only led the highest-grossing Marvel movie of 2023, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 but also starred in the billion-dollar Super Mario movie.
In terms of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, this year has been disappointing both at the box office and in terms of critical reception. Marvel Studios needs to make changes to improve its performance next year.
Check out my article from earlier this year to learn about Marvel movie performances in 2022:
Check out my article about Chris Pratt's success at the box office:
