Following Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, there’s just one Marvel movie left on the 2023 movie release calendar: The Marvels, i.e. the follow-up to Captain Marvel, WandaVision and Ms. Marvel. As is usually the case with MCU projects, this blockbuster wasn’t made off a shoestring budget, as a lot of money is necessary to pour into visual effects, set design, costuming, etc. However, many people on the internet are sharing how shocked they are to learn how much it cost to make The Marvels.
Following a report claiming that The Marvels’ budget only added up to $130 million, which would be around $22-$45 million less than Captain Marvel’s budget, Disney’s company filings have now revealed (via Forbes) that the number is actually $274.8 million. An important caveat to mention, however, is that because of a $55 million subsidy from the United Kingdom government, the studio only spent $219.8 million on the movie. Nevertheless, that initial amount is what’s taking various fans by surprise, as evidenced below.
Did I just see that The Marvels’ budget is $270 MILLION??? pic.twitter.com/PIj0qLHIRKSeptember 20, 2023
For comparison, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania’s budget came in at $200 million, while Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’s was around $250 million. However, The Marvels is still a ways off from being highest-budgeted Marvel movie, with Avengers: Age of Ultron still holding the #1 spot at roughly $365 million, followed by Avengers: Endgame at $356 million. However, there are conflicting views about whether Marvel Studios should have poured this much money into The Marvels. For example:
I still see The Marvels doing 600-700 million but ether way, it’s time for the studios to start wrangling in these budgets. https://t.co/TkWDLfwbcbSeptember 20, 2023
That range isn’t necessarily correct, as Forbes states The Marvels will need to pull in a at least $439.6 million to break even at minimum. Still, it’s not like a Marvel movie needing to make millions upon millions of dollars to be considered profitable is new (though The Marvels’ chances of succeeding are looking good). Oftentimes they’re successful in this regard, like how Guardians 3 pulled in over $845 million, and occasionally they fall short, like Quantumania only making $476 million. Alternatively, some take issue with how The Marvels’ budget is being framed through a negative lens.
interesting that now a marvel movies budget being “too high” is suddenly a problem when it’s the marvels. where were you guys when quantumania was in the discussion 🤔 pic.twitter.com/IPP1N5FcKHSeptember 20, 2023
Ultimately though, there are plenty of people who don’t care about budgets when they go to see a movie. The person below will be in good company when they sit down to watch The Marvels come this November and not caring whatsoever how much money it cost to make.
Couldn’t care less what the budget of the marvels is tbh. I’m just excited to see my girls in action (and some flerkens)⚡️September 20, 2023
Directed by Candyman’s Nia DaCosta, who also co-wrote the script with Megan McDonnell and Elissa Karasik, The Marvels sees Carol Danvers, Monica Rambeau and Kamala Khan teaming up as a result of them switching places every time one of them uses their light-based powers. This strange occurrence is the work of Zawe Ashton’s Dar-Benn, the movie’s main antagonist who’s connected to Guardians of the Galaxy’s Ronan the Accuser. Other members of The Marvels’ cast include Samuel L. Jackson reprising Nick Fury following his time as a leading character in Disney+’s Secret Invasion, as well as Park Seo-joon, Zenobia Shroff, Mohan Kapur, Saagar Shaikh, Lashana Lynch and Randall Park, among others.
The Marvels opens in theaters on November 3, so break out your Disney+ subscription to make sure you’re caught up on Carol, Monica and Kamala’s prior adventures ahead of time. You’re also welcome to peruse the upcoming Marvel movies guide to learn what this franchise is sending to the big screen in 2024 and beyond.
