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Audience Response Proves ETERNALS Is the Weakest Marvel Movie

Photo from Marvel Studios Instagram

Audience Response Proves ETERNALS Is the Weakest Marvel Movie

By Movieguide® Staff

The general consensus is in for Marvel’s newest blockbuster release, ETERNALS.

In recent years, Disney Marvel’s superhero movies have been surefire box office hits, raking in some of the most significant ticket sales in cinema history.

However, after the COVID-19 pandemic closed theaters and halted movie production across the country, studios struggled to decide the best strategy for future releases in 2020 and 2021.

Although Disney experimented with a hybrid release model—where the movie would release in theaters and on their streaming service Disney+—its newest installations like ETERNALS and SHANG CHI were theater exclusives.

Unfortunately, ETERNALS has turned in a low $71 million at the domestic box office, shy of what Marvel has come to expect from its tentpole movies.

“Box office observers and comic book super-fans have come to expect the franchise’s entries to generate more than $100 million in their opening weekends. Anything less, by Marvel standards, tends to be classified as a misstep,” Variety reported. “In that company, ‘Eternals’ isn’t quite stacking up at the box office.”

Critics have pointed to the pandemic-era challenges and Marvel’s “restart” with a new cast of characters in its recent slate of superhero movies for ETERNALS’ box office struggle. However, Movieguide® notes that ETERNALS also contained some distinct moral differences from previous Marvel movies.

“‘Eternals’ had very unique challenges in that, outside of Angelina Jolie, it didn’t have any big-name stars,” Jeff Bock, an analyst with Exhibitor Relations, notes. “It’s not like Marvel is taking a dip. They ran into a series of heroes that absolutely nobody had heard of.”

“Marvel’s upcoming slate has characters we all know and love dearly. Those films will be just fine,” he adds.

“It’s below Marvel’s remarkable average for launching a new series, but we are still in thin air at the top of the theatrical business,” David A. Gross of the Franchise Entertainment Research firm said. “The movie is a creative departure for Marvel. Different is good when it keeps it fresh, but it can also shake the fan base.”

ETERNALS certainly shook things up, but in a way that alienates one of the largest movie-going audiences; Christians and families. The movie included a sex scene, a lead homosexual character, and pagan mythology that all do not appear in the majority of movies fans have come to love.

Movieguide® notes:

ETERNALS is beautifully photographed and has an epic quality to it. The action is often rousing and exciting, leading to a satisfying conclusion. Also, the character development is dramatically compelling. That said, the story suffers from too much exposition and some static dialogue. Even worse, although it promotes some Christian moral values such as love, family and sacrifice, the movie has a strong, false pagan mythology that erases Jesus from Creation and from human history. ETERNALS has a brief sex scene, a major homosexual character, some foul language, and revisionist history.

Movieguide® previously reported that despite its ticket sales, the ETERNALS earned poor early-release reviews:

Ahead of wide release, Disney Marvel’s newest movie, ETERNALS, posted the worst Rotten Tomatoes scores since THOR: THE DARK WORLD—which fans have generally agreed is the franchise’s weakest installation.

Movie critics’ early reviews have resulted in the lowest score for a Marvel Studio movie in its history.

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.