Years of gradually declining box office numbers for the Marvel Cinematic Universe have led many fans and filmmakers to wonder if superhero fatigue had begun to set in among moviegoers. But while disappointing results for films such as “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” and “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” rose eyebrows, “The Marvels” could wind up being the studio’s biggest financial failure yet.
The pseudo-sequel to “Captain Marvel,” which sees Brie Larson’s eponymous superhero team up with Iman Vellani’s “Ms. Marvel” from the Disney+ series of the same name, opened to a franchise-low $46 million before dropping 78 percent during its second weekend in theaters. It appears positioned to be the first MCU film not to crack $100 million at the domestic box office during its entire run.
While the decreased public interest in Marvel movies will be a subject of endless debate among executives and box office analysts, one of the film’s stars isn’t too worried about the problem. In a new interview with Yahoo Entertainment, Vellani said that the film’s box office performance doesn’t concern her as an actor.
“I don’t want to focus on something that’s not even in my control, because what’s the point?,” Vellani said. “That’s for Bob Iger.”
Vellani, whose appearance in the film marked the big screen debut of her Kamala Khan character, explained that she is content to have made a movie that she is proud of with collaborators that she likes. Beyond that, she doesn’t worry herself with external factors.
“[The box office] has nothing to do with me,” she said. “I’m happy with the finished product, and the people that I care about enjoyed the film. It’s genuinely a good time watching this movie, and that’s all we can ask for with these films. It has superheroes, it take place in space, it’s not that deep and it’s about teamwork and sisterhood. It’s a fun movie, and I’m just so happy that I can share it with people.”
Regardless of what’s next for the MCU, Vellani should get at least one more shot at box office glory, as she is slated to suit up as Ms. Marvel again in the upcoming “Avengers: Secret Wars.”
