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Marvel’s MORBIUS Struggles At Box Office, Proving That Content Matters To Fans
By Movieguide® Staff
Despite a strong streak at the box office for Marvel movies over the past year, MORBIUS missed the mark last weekend.
MORBIUS, which is associated with Marvel and Sony, earned $39.1 in its debut weekend. While not a complete bomb, it is a far cry from a long list of Marvel movies that surpass the $100 million mark.
MORBIUS is connected to the MCU and boasts talented actors like Jared Leto and Matt Smith. But reviews, both from critics and the general public, disliked the vampire-based comic book movie.
In a recent article from Variety, writer Rebecca Rubin asked the question, “Are comic book movies bulletproof at the box office?”
Marvel movies that contain inspirational heroes with a moral worldview have proven to be a winning recipe for the MCU.
Unfortunately, Sony dove into horror elements and anti-heroes like Venom and Morbius with its past two installations, relying on the Marvel brand to carry their darker movies. Repeatedly, these movies have tanked relative to Marvel’s heroic stories featuring classic heroes like Captain America, Iron Man, and Spider-Man.
“The Marvel brand carries a prestigious selling point for moviegoers, but that’s a luxury that comes with great responsibility to deliver crowd-pleasing films of a certain caliber,” Shawn Robbins, chief analyst at Box Office Pro, said. “Audiences are savvy, and their commitment to a franchise depends on consistent output of quality storytelling.”
According to Variety, Sony’s last superhero venture, VENOM: LET THERE BE CARNAGE, earned an abysmal 56% on Rotten Tomatoes.
“The highest Rotten Tomatoes grade belongs to ‘Venom: Let There Be Carnage,’ with a bleak 56%. In contrast, Disney’s MCU films boast a 84% aggregate score on Rotten Tomatoes,” Variety reported.
VENOM and MORBIUS mirror DC Comics’ recent push for darker, edgier movies like SUICIDE SQUAD and ZACK SNYDER’S JUSTICE LEAGUE, which both earned an “R” rating.
Variety reported of THE SUICIDE SQUAD:
Audiences do not extend that level of confidence to all comic book empires. For example, the R-rated DC Comics adventure ‘The Suicide Squad’ was widely praised (it has a 96% on Rotten Tomatoes), yet the Warner Bros. movie debuted to only $26 million while landing simultaneously on HBO Max. That film ended its domestic box office run with a scant $55 million.
Superhero movies, done right, will continue to be some of the best performers at the box office.
According to Box Office Mojo, seven of the last ten top-performing movies at the domestic box office were superhero movies.
“Superhero movies are going to remain the preeminent Hollywood genre because they still work in every market around the world,” David A. Gross of the movie consulting firm Franchise Entertainment Research said.
But not all comic book movies are created equal, as proven by recent releases like MORBIUS and THE SUICIDE SQUAD.
While uplifting movies with moral worldviews and inspirational heroes are bulletproof at the box office, violence and excessive language prove time and time again to be the superhero movie’s kryptonite.
A portion of Movieguide®’s review of MORBIUS reads:
MORBIUS has a fair number of scary, exciting moments. However, the story is too simple and comes down to a battle between Michael and his friend. MORBIUS has a light humanist worldview with some moral elements. There’s no lewd or explicit content. Also, the foul language is kept to a minimum. The violence in MORBIUS is rather intense, but not gory. However, MOVIEGUIDE® advises extreme caution because of the movie’s vampire themes about drinking human blood, intense violence, scary moments, and the foul language.
Now more than ever we’re bombarded by darkness in media, movies, and TV. Movieguide® has fought back for almost 40 years, working within Hollywood to propel uplifting and positive content. We’re proud to say we’ve collaborated with some of the top industry players to influence and redeem entertainment for Jesus. Still, the most influential person in Hollywood is you. The viewer.
What you listen to, watch, and read has power. Movieguide® wants to give you the resources to empower the good and the beautiful. But we can’t do it alone. We need your support.
You can make a difference with as little as $7. It takes only a moment. If you can, consider supporting our ministry with a monthly gift. Thank you.
Movieguide® is a 501c3 and all donations are tax deductible.
Now more than ever we’re bombarded by darkness in media, movies, and TV. Movieguide® has fought back for almost 40 years, working within Hollywood to propel uplifting and positive content. We’re proud to say we’ve collaborated with some of the top industry players to influence and redeem entertainment for Jesus. Still, the most influential person in Hollywood is you. The viewer.
What you listen to, watch, and read has power. Movieguide® wants to give you the resources to empower the good and the beautiful. But we can’t do it alone. We need your support.
You can make a difference with as little as $7. It takes only a moment. If you can, consider supporting our ministry with a monthly gift. Thank you.
Movieguide® is a 501c3 and all donations are tax deductible.
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