The Marvels Star Thinks Everyone Is Wrong For Hating The Movie
The Marvels didn’t really fare well with critics or audiences, with many praising the performances of its stars but criticizing the script and tonal inconsistencies plaguing the film. Teyonah Parris, the star portraying the iconic Monica Rambeau, recently stated that fans shouldn’t be too quick to cross the movie off their watch list.
Teyonah Parris Defends The Marvels
When asked about The Marvels’ underperformance with critics, fans, and at the global box office, Teyonah Parris said that viewers should “give it a fair shot.” The actress added that there was a lot of talk surrounding the flopped movie, but not a lot of people had seen it, leading to negative commentary from those who are basically judging a book by its covers. Instead, Parris asks viewers to “show grace” after they actually watch The Marvels.
Never Judge A Book By Its Cover
Regardless of what our opinion on The Marvels might be, we agree with Teyonah Parris that people shouldn’t disregard any film release before seeing it for themselves. Too many movies have been tossed to the sidelines due to poor reviews from the critics or boisterous detractors on X, only to emerge years later as poignant stories and absolute lost gems of cinematography. However, there’s still a lot to unpack here.
None Of The Leads Coulkd Promote The Film
For example, The Marvels debuted in theaters in November 2023, just one day after the Hollywood labor disputes ended. Those same disputes prevented Teyonah Parris, Brie Larson, and Iman Vellani from speaking about the move. Regardless of what people might think, even the best possible films need marketing, which also includes press conferences, interviews with starring actors, and other marketing strategies that are used to drive interest and create hype.
Superhero Fatigue Spares No One
Sadly, The Marvels had none of that. Sure, trailers dropped on YouTube, and there was commercial content surrounding the film, but it lacked star promotion and press conferences with Teyonah Parris, Brie Larson, and Iman Vellani. And to top it all off, there’s also so-called “super-hero” fatigue, which definitely played a significant role in The Marvels’ underperformance, as most cinephiles and comic lovers were left uninterested in the film and the superhero genre overall.
Return Of The Marvels?
For comparison, 2019’s Captain Marvel opened up with $153 million at the box office, whereas The Marvels made just $47 million in its opening weekend. The former, however, went on to make $1.1 billion worldwide, while the latter didn’t even manage to recuperate its production budget, and it’s currently the lowest-grossing MCU movie (it even underperformed Eternals) and one of the few MCU movies not to break even during its theatrical run. So, while Teyonah Parris does have a point, a larger viewership for the film would be hard to find due to the aforementioned factors.
As for Teyonah Parris’ return to the MCU following The Marvels, the actress stated that she doesn’t “know anything, officially.” The Marvels is currently available to stream on Disney+ and is available to purchase on physical media even after Disney announced its decision to distance itself from physical media.
Source: People
