How Much The Marvels Cost To Make & What Box Office It Needs

The Marvels is the MCU’s next big release, but a massive budget and franchise-wide concerns make it unclear exactly how much the movie needs to make to succeed and what its odds of doing so are. A sequel to 2019’s Captain Marvel, the film will follow Brie Larson’s Carol Danvers leading the cast as she, Monica Rambeau and Kamala Khan investigate why their powers are being intertwined. Given the tepid reception to several 2023 MCU projects, Marvel Studios needs The Marvels to find success both among critics and at the box office.

The film will be the MCU big screen debut for Teyonah Parris’ Photon and Iman Vellani’s Ms. Marvel, though the extra star power may not be enough to help The Marvel‘s reach the incredible box office performance of its predecessor. Crossing the $1 billion mark, Captain Marvel (2019) released at the peak of MCU hype and filled the void between Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame. However, while The Marvels‘ sizable budget means it needs to do well to turn a profit, there’s plenty of middle ground between hitting seven figures and a disappointing box office return.

The Marvels Budget Is Around $270 Million

The budget for The Marvels is around $270 million according to a report from Forbes, making it the fourth most-expensive MCU movie and the highest budget for a non-Avengers film. Comparing the sequel to its predecessor, Captain Marvel had a budget of around $175 million. The Marvels was originally reported to have a budget of $130 million, which would’ve made it one of the least-expensive MCU films to make. However, the updated budget more appropriately reflects the film’s ensemble cast and VFX-focused nature.

The Marvels’ Filming Subsidy Explained

The Marvels was mostly filmed in studios just outside of London thanks to the United Kingdom’s Film Tax Relief. The UK government offers a cash rebate of up to 25% for qualifying film productions, which Marvel Studios took advantage of with The Marvels. Although big-budget films like MCU films aren’t usually so open with their financial numbers, studios are usually more accepting of the disclosure for the sake of the money earned back. Disney received $55 million back from The Marvels’ subsidy, lowering the production’s average spending to around $219 million.

How Much The Marvels Needs For Box Office Success

The Marvels will need to make around $450 million to be considered a box office success after taking into account the subsidy. Considering that Captain Marvel made over $1 billion, it’s natural to assume that its sequel will follow in its footsteps. However, that will likely be a tough ask for the film considering the MCU’s recent track record. Hollywood box office numbers, in general, took a huge hit after the COVID-19 pandemic. Marvel has recovered more successfully than most other studios due to the blockbuster nature of its films, but it makes the studio’s low points much more noticeable.

While the big-name follow-up films like Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever were considerably successful releases, the average worldwide box office of most MCU films post-COVID has been around $400 million. While a decent profit for most other projects, The Marvels’ wouldn’t even break even with those numbers because of the production’s whopping $270 million budget. A $450 million box office would just be enough to consider the film a profit, let alone a box office success. While director Nina DaCosta has had previous box office success with the release of her film Candyman, this will be her first project of such a scale.

How Much Will The Marvels Make At The Box Office?

According to predictions from Box Office Pro, The Marvels is currently projected to make $50 million to $75 million in its opening weekend with a total domestic box office of $121 million to $189 million. In comparison, Captain Marvel had a $426 million domestic box office. The Marvels projected box office numbers take a drastic drop, not just from its predecessor but also from other 2023 MCU films. The Marvels box office success will largely hinge on positive reviews. However, talks of the film’s average test screening reviews set the precedent that The Marvels will be nowhere near the financial success it needs to be.

The Marvels will be the MCU’s last film release of 2023 and the anticipated sequel to Captain Marvel, but dooming box office projections are set to overshadow the film’s reputation. Because of the whopping $270 million budget, The Marvels will need to make around $450 million at the box office to be considered a success. Considering that projected box office numbers are only a fraction of that, it will be an incredibly tough ask for The Marvels to make its money back and live up to Captain Marvel’s hype.