‘Morbius’ Box Office: What the Film’s So-So Debut Means for Sony’s Universe of Marvel Characters
variety.comRebecca Rubin Film and Media ReporterAre comic book movies bulletproof at the box office?After Sony’s antihero adventure “Morbius” managed to pull in $39.1 million over the weekend despite terrible reviews, the answer is… sorta?There are a few ways to slice the opening weekend revenues for “Morbius,” a $75 million-budgeted superhero tentpole from Sony’s Universe of Marvel Characters.
Ticket sales weren’t even close to matching 2018’s “Venom” ($80 million debut) and its 2021 sequel “Let There Be Carnage” ($90 million debut), which were Sony’s first attempts at spinning Spider-Man adversaries — the characters the studio licenses from Marvel — into cinematic riches.
But business could have been way, way worse considering “Morbius” has a 17% on Rotten Tomatoes — an average score that’s somehow lower than “Venom” and its embarrassing 30% mark. “Sometimes there is a disconnect between the critical consensus and the sentiment of the fan base for whom ‘Morbius’ was still a ‘must see’ moviegoing event,” says Paul Derbarabedian, a senior media analyst with Comscore.So where does that leave “Morbius”?
Well, it’s a sign that superheroes can galvanize ticket buyers in ways that few other genres can. But it’s also an indication that not every Marvel character has blockbuster potential.
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