Why Are Marvel Movies Underperforming Financially?

There was a time when Marvel was the undisputed champion of the film industry, not so long ago. It was a time when even films based on C-list Marvel characters could make close to a billion dollars. However, a plethora of factors have led to a consistent decline in Marvel's output, resulting in Marvel films struggling to gain traction. We take a look at why are Marvel movies underperforming financially?

For many, Endgame was the true finale for Marvel. It built upon ten years of movies, led the audience to invest in its characters, and paid it off with a spectacular ending. Everything that Marvel has made after Endgame has failed to surpass it in every respect. By killing off 3 main characters and struggling to replace them, Marvel has thrown everything at the wall to varied results. Audiences don't feel connected to the current Marvel lineup, and this is showing up in reduced box office receipts.

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Another reason touted for the underperformance is the lack of focus in Marvel media after Endgame. All the films building up to Endgame had a clear mission: hype up the Thanos threat and introduce new characters to the team that would eventually fight him. However, post-Endgame media were either standalone features or a template to launch/develop Marvel shows on Disney+. Marvel’s initial plan to hype up the next big bad (Kang) imploded when its actor, Jonathan Majors, was found guilty of domestic assault. Panicking, Marvel reluctantly brought back Robert Downey Jr. as Doctor Doom to reinvigorate audience interest for their next two Avengers flicks. How well this will work remains to be seen.

Also, the whole superhero genre is going through a period of general fatigue. More than 90 superhero films have been released since 2000, a stunning average of four per year. With the same old story of an underdog going up against campy evil, audiences have rightly become tired of what the genre has had to offer. Although Marvel has come out on top, three Marvel rivals have had their superhero universes terminated due to various reasons, and it seems audience fatigue has also begun to affect Marvel properties as well. The performance of the next two Avengers movies might determine Marvel's future.