‘The Marvels’ Director Reveals Why the Movie Was a Massive Flop

The Marvels, released in 2023, is the sequel to Captain Marvel (2019) and a follow-up to the TV miniseries Ms. Marvel (2022). Nia DaCosta directed the film and co-wrote the script with Megan McDonnell and Elissa Karasik. The cast includes Brie Larson as Carol Danvers / Captain Marvel, Teyonah Parris as Monica Rambeau, and Iman Vellani as Kamala Khan / Ms. Marvel.

They are joined by Zawe Ashton, Gary Lewis, Park Seo-joon, Zenobia Shroff, Mohan Kapur, Saagar Shaikh, and Samuel L. Jackson. In the story, the three heroes start swapping places whenever they use their powers, forcing them to team up as “the Marvels.”

Despite the big names and superhero hype, The Marvels flopped at the box office. It made $84.5 million in the U.S. and Canada and $121.6 million in other countries, for a total of $206.1 million worldwide. It was reported that after counting expenses and earnings, the film lost $237 million. This makes The Marvels the lowest-grossing MCU movie ever.

Critics gave the movie mixed reviews. Rotten Tomatoes shows a 62% approval rating with an average score of 5.9/10. Their summary says, “Funny, refreshingly brief, and elevated by the chemistry of its three leads, The Marvels is easy to enjoy in the moment despite its cluttered story and jumbled tonal shifts.”

Director Nia DaCosta recently spoke about why the film flopped. She told THR and other outlets that one major problem was the unfinished script. “One of the issues I had with Candyman and Marvels was the lack of a really solid script, which is always gonna just wreak havoc on the whole process,” she said.

“But Alex Garland hands you a script, and you’re like, ‘This is amazing.’ You don’t really have to change it, although I did, I basically asked for more infected. [Laughs.] That was, like, my big contribution.”

At a Storyhouse event a few months ago, DaCosta admitted the movie that ended up in theaters was not the one she originally planned. “It was interesting because there was a certain point when I was like, ‘Ok, this isn’t going to be the movie that I pitched or even the first version of the movie that I shot,’” she said.

She explained that reshoots and rewrites changed the film significantly. “So, I realized that this is now an experience, and it’s a learning curve, and it really makes you stronger as a filmmaker in terms of your ability to navigate,” DaCosta added.

She also addressed leaving post-production before the film was finished due to commitments to her next project. “They had a date, and they were prepping certain things, and you just have to lean into the process hardcore,” she said. “The way they make those films is very different to the way, ideally, I would make a film. So you just have to lean into the process and hope for the best. The best didn’t happen this time but you kind of have to trust in the machine.”

Many MCU movies have faced similar issues, with unfinished scripts and changing visions causing inconsistent quality.

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