It’s been a busy day for Marvel Studios fans, as Eternals finally released in theaters. Not only are all the spoilers hitting the internet, but also the public reaction has shown there’ quite the divide between critics and audience’s views on the film. So, we’ve been curious what it might mean for its box office performance, as it earned $9.5M in its Thursday Previews. It made the film the third-highest of the pandemic. Well, it looks like the film is currently heading towards a $75M after opening this Friday with around $30M (including the money it made from previews). It’s currently in line with Shang-Chi‘s $29M opening from September.
Friday usually makes up 40% of the box office, as pointed out by Deadline which means it might be lower than the previously stated $80M prediction. Of course, there’s always a chance this new audience reception, which is only available as of today, might boost its numbers after all. The CinemaScore might be our first indication. Eternals only drawback is the film’s length. It’s one of the longest entries in the franchise. While Avengers: Endgame had the selling point of ending the franchise’s first major arc, Eternals is a rather unknown property that introduces a group of new heroes.
Dune is currently in second place and might take a bite out of Eternals box office. As of now, the film might not pass the $80M mark after all even as earlier predictions were a bit more optimistic in that regard. Internationally, the film is currently outpacing Shang-Chi and Black Widow, which continues to point to a strong global opening for the production. Deadline also points out that Disney has $100M in brand marketing partners, which helps reduce the burden on covering costs for the company.
Source: Deadline, The Numbers, Deadline, Box Office Mojo
