A shaky start to MCU Phase 5 may not be a good sign for the future of the MCU, but at least 3 upcoming Marvel movies could benefit from a prevalent Rotten Tomatoes trend. 2023 was not the best year for Marvel, beginning with its critically middling Kang the Conqueror vehicle, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantummania, and ending with a historic box office flop with The Marvels. This means the pressure is now on for the franchise to recuperate its losses as soon as possible – which is not yet beyond the realm of possibility.
Thankfully for the MCU, the future is looking bright as its only cinematic release of 2024, Deadpool & Wolverine, is already making significant waves, with the first look at the movie breaking the record for the most-watched trailer within a 24-hour period. Suffice it to say, the movie could not come at a better time, as Marvel could be eyeing another billion-dollar box office smash in the wake of a disappointing year. Not only that but if Deadpool & Wolverine follows the same precedent set by other Marvel threequels, then it could also be the best-rated in the Deadpool franchise.
Deadpool 3: Release Date, Story, Trailer & Everything We Know
Marvel Studios is making Deadpool 3 as part of the MCU. Here’s everything we know about the R-rated sequel starring Ryan Reynolds as Wade Wilson.
MCU Threequels Have The Highest RT Audience Scores
Third Time’s The Charm For Most MCU Superheroes
MCU Trilogy Entries By RT Audience Score | |
|---|---|
Number In Series | Average Rotten Tomatoes Score For MCU Movies |
1 | 82% |
2 | 84% |
3 | 89% |
One of the ways in which MCU movies buck the trend typified by other franchises is that its threequels – the third movie in a series – tend to be among the highest-rated by MCU audiences. This often means that some of the best movies in the MCU are the third installments in their respective franchises from a fan perspective – and the key thing for Marvel Studios is that fan power equals money. While this is not the case across the board, it is notable that, for a franchise that comprises so many installments, the third in the franchise is largely a safe bet.
MCU Threequels RT Performance Explained | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Title | Year Of Release | RT Audience | RT Critics |
Iron Man 3 | 2013 | 78% | 79% |
Captain America: Civil War | 2016 | 89% | 90% |
Thor: Ragnarok | 2017 | 87% | 92% |
Avengers: Infinity War | 2018 | 92% | 85% |
Spider-Man: No Way Home | 2021 | 98% | 94% |
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 | 2023 | 94% | 82% |
Ant-Man & The Wasp: Quantumania | 2023 | 82% | 46% |
Even for movies that don’t score as highly as their predecessors, MCU movies rarely score below 80% on Rotten Tomatoes. This goes to show how important it is for Marvel, in particular, to continue showcasing its newer characters in successive movies, as the franchise seems to have a special knack for generating a fondness in them that its third installments can capitalize on. Thankfully, the MCU is doing exactly this with three upcoming MCU movies.
3 Future MCU Movies Could Continue The RT Trend
Upcoming MCU Threequels To Be Positive About
Deadpool & Wolverine is the next threequel in the pipeline for the MCU set to be released on July 26, 2024. If the current wave of positivity continues for the movie, then there is a big chance it could outperform its predecessors. Interestingly, Captain America: Civil War, Spider-Man: No Way Home, and Thor: Ragnarok were the highest-rated in their respective franchises and heavily featured characters from other movies. Seeing as Deadpool & Wolverine is poised to involve Fox’s X-Men, this sets it in even better stead.
Doctor Strange 3 and Black Panther 3, meanwhile, are also in the MCU’s pipeline, though neither have been officially confirmed. These will presumably fall between Avengers: The Kang Dynasty and Avengers: Secret Wars. This will be a huge period for Marvel, as its approach toward the reboot that will reportedly follow Avengers: Secret Wars will likely be significantly bolstered by two threequels, which also have a habit of netting the studio over $1 billion.
The added posiitve for Marvel Studios, of course, is that there’s a correlation between the positive Rotten Tomatoes Audience Scores for MCU threequels and their respective box office performance. On average, MCU threequels have pulled in more than $1bn.
MCU Movies Average Box Office Performance | |
|---|---|
Number In The Series | Average Box Office |
1 | $693,562,518 |
2 | $800,573,470 |
3 | $1,211,867,813 |
Ant-Man 3 Ruined The MCU Threequels’ Other Trend
The Exception That Hopefully Proves The MCU Rule…
Unfortunately, the most recent precedent for threequels tells a different story. Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania is not only the worst-rated in its own trilogy but the worst-rated MCU movie overall, according to the Rotten Tomatoes critics’ consensus. Along with Eternals, it is also one of only two MCU movies to receive a “rotten” score of 46%. Despite this, the audience does not seem to agree, awarding Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania 82% on Rotten Tomatoes, which is higher than the score awarded to Iron Man 3.
Whether Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania deserves its undesirable critics’ consensus score is up for debate, but it is safe to say that the Ant-Man franchise does not engender as much excitement as the decidedly less family-friendly Deadpool franchise. With the MCU in a pivotal position, there is a lot that Deadpool & Wolverine can do to help save the MCU. Breaking $1 billion for the studio would, of course, be a great start.
Key Release Dates
Deadpool & Wolverine
Release Date:2024-07-26
Captain America: Brave New World
Release Date:2025-02-14
Marvel’s Thunderbolts
Release Date:2025-05-02
Marvel’s Fantastic Four
Release Date:2025-07-25
Blade (2025)
Release Date:2025-11-07
Avengers: The Kang Dynasty
Release Date:2026-05-01
Avengers: Secret Wars
Release Date:2027-05-07
