Marvel Is About To Get Crushed By Bob Marley
Lovebirds or singles planning to celebrate Valentine’s Day (and President’s Day weekend) with a little cinema have quite a few titles to choose from. With films like Argylle, Lisa Frankenstein, and Anyone But You already playing in theaters, it will be tough to decide between one of those or a new arrival like Madame Web or Bob Marley: One Love.
What should be a celebratory long weekend for Marvel and Sony’s latest superhero feature is likely to be one of defeat as the pre-box office numbers look like the Bob Marley biopic will win out over Madame Web.
Bob Marley: One Love Beats Out Madame Web
Both Bob Marley: One Love and Madame Web are the two big Valentine’s Day releases with Paramount and Sony/Marvel, respectively, hoping to make a splash with audiences. Still, the projected gross over the six-day opening puts One Love in the lead with $30-$35 million as opposed to Madame Web’s $20-$25 million.
And to think – one year ago, when the Ant-Man trilogy fully rounded out with Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, folks were laughing at the picture’s lackluster long weekend earning of $120.3 million.
A Lackluster Week At The Box Office
Obviously, neither Bob Marley: One Love nor Madame Web’s numbers come close to what either studio would be hoping to gross over such a profitable few days. Unfortunately, that’s just where we’re at at the top of the year, with films like Dune: Part 2 and Deadpool & Wolverine appearing to be the box office saviors this year. Marvel will certainly be leaning on the latter title to revive it from what was an abysmal financial year in 2023 that has now poured over into 2024.
Sony’s Extended Spider-Verse Fails Again
Aside from Deadpool, Spider-Man, and Venom, Sony and Marvel have had a tough time getting audiences to take their Spider-Verse films seriously, with Madame Web tuned up to be the same meme-making production as the Jared Leto-led 2022 flick, Morbius. Likewise, later this year, audiences will see Aaron Taylor-Johnson make his way into the superhero universe in Kraven the Hunter, which, again, isn’t showing any signs of becoming the blockbuster that either studio is hoping for.
Marvel’s Downward Spiral
Not only has the extended Spider-Verse struggled to gain traction aside from a few key characters, but Marvel has also found itself in deep water over the last year. As we mentioned at the top, looking back on it now, Quantumania feels like a godsend compared to the box office outlook for Madame Web.
But, last year, the Paul Rudd and Evangeline Lilly-led film was marked down as a loss for the studio which would go on to rake in cash with Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 before crashing and burning at the end of the year with The Marvels.
Madame Web
As for Madame Web, Marvel and Sony’s latest joint production tells the story of Dakota Johnson’s titular superhero, also known as Cassie Webb, an EMT who gains powers like clairvoyance after a deadly accident. She teams up with a group of other young women (Sydney Sweeney, Isabela Merced, Celeste O’Connor) to take on an adversary (Tahar Rahim) who is bent on killing the quartet before they kill him.
The film also stars impressive names like Adam Scott (Parks and Recreation), Emma Roberts (American Horror Story), and Zosia Mamet (Girls), so it certainly has the star power to entice audiences even if that proves futile.
Source: Deadline
