Despite poor critical reception and box office projections, Marvel Studios' Eternals has exceeded expectations in its opening weekend.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Eternals enjoyed a $71 million debut in North America, which was on the lower end of projects. Overseas, the latest instalment in the Marvel Cinematic Universe earned $161.7 million in its opening, the second-largest opening in the pandemic era.
It was previously estimated that Eternals would earn between $67 million and $69 million at the box office during its first weekend, which is markedly lower than previous Marvel Studios releases this year, including Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, which earned $94.7 million from its theater-exclusive release, and Black Widow, which earned $80.4 million from its hybrid release.
Eternals was released on Nov. 5 and has received mixed reviews from critics and has become the MCU's worst-reviewed film, surpassing Thor: The Dark World in that regard. CBR's own Brandon Zachary said of Eternals that were it not for underdeveloped plot points and pacing issues, "It could have been a stone-cold classic instead of a heady standout that lands like an unwieldy entry in the superhero genre."
The film also brings several franchise firsts into the in terms of character and casting. As an example, the film introduced the first gay couple to the MCU-- Brian Tyree Henry's Phastos and Haaz Sleiman's Ben. This has resulted in Eternals being banned in several countries, including Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Qatar, where other films have been pulled for featuring LGBTQ+ characters and themes.
The ambition of Eternals was welcome by Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige, who previously stated that this would be a "bold new step." He continued, "That was the whole idea... Nate Moore, our producer, really had that driving vision for what this could be." Feige then explained, "It was in a post-Infinity Saga world -- we wanted to make a bold new step and say, 'You don't know everything about the universe yet...' And that there are these 10 spectacular heroes who you haven't met who've been here the whole time."
Eternals tells the story of 10 beings created by the Celestials in order to fight the Deviants. These beings are Sersi, played by Gemma Chan; Ikaris, played by Richard Madden; Kumail Nanjiani's Kingo, Lauren Ridloff's Makkari, Brian Tyree Henry's Phastos, Salma Hayek's Ajak, Lia McHugh' Sprite, Don Lee's Gilgamesh, Angelina Jolie's Thena and Barry Keoghan's Druig. These immortal beings must band together once again to fight the return of the Deviants and prevent the Emergence.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter