‘Deadpool and Wolverine’ hasn’t saved superhero movies after all as the next Marvel movie is set to tank out its trilogy with lowest box office yet

Hollywood, ah, what a fickle mistress! Remember the glory days around 2015 when Marvel could churn out even the most mundane stories—like Iron Man’s corporate bathroom—and still score big at the box office? Those days seem long gone as superhero fatigue sets in. Sure, there was a flicker of hope this summer with Deadpool & Wolverine, but overall, the landscape looks as rocky as Elon Musk’s reputation post-Twitter takeover.

Take Joker (2019), for instance. It was a game changer—a dark, poetic, and beautifully crafted film that surprised everyone and earned Joaquin Phoenix an Oscar. However, the follow-up, Joker: Folie à Deux, is shaping up to be a financial disaster, with projections suggesting a loss between $150 and $200 million. Ouch!

So, if the Joker can’t revive the genre, maybe it’s time to rely on Eddie Brock, a.k.a. Venom. Venom: The Last Dance was supposed to be a solid entry in the superhero lineup, especially after the first two films made a splash with opening weekends of $80 million and $90 million, respectively. However, the early tracking indicates that the third installment could be the weakest link, expected to pull in only about $70 million on its opening weekend. While that sounds decent in general terms, in the superhero realm, that’s a major letdown.

Compare that to Deadpool & Wolverine, which boasted the biggest domestic opening since Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021), raking in a whopping $211 million. Those are the kind of superhero numbers that get studio executives excited! But with Venom struggling to even reach $70 million, it’s no wonder Sony execs might be rethinking those Ferrari purchases.

The reviews aren’t helping either. Joker: Folie à Deux has tanked, sitting at a dismal 33% on Rotten Tomatoes. Even critics who usually don’t mince words have been harsh—Leonard Maltin summed up his review with just three words: “What a waste.”

And the bad press keeps piling up. The film has even spurred a new trend in criticism: the celebrity walkout. Notably, writer-director Paul Schrader, known for classics like Taxi Driver, didn’t hold back: “I saw about 10 or 15 minutes of it, left, bought something, and came back. That was enough.” Oof!

As for Venom: The Last Dance, the buzz is that its reviews won’t be revealed until the day before its release on October 23 at 3 PM EST. That’s a classic sign of doom in the industry, though critics haven’t been overly enthusiastic about any of the Venom films so far.

Despite these grim tidings, don’t expect Hollywood to stop cranking out superhero flicks anytime soon. Major franchises featuring legacy characters like the Fantastic Four, Captain America, Avengers, and Blade are still in the pipeline, along with James Gunn’s upcoming Superman reboot next summer. Those are likely to find success, at least for now.

The real concern lies with lower-tier projects like Kraven the Hunter and Thunderbolts, which may face uphill battles. But who knows? Like their comic book counterparts, superhero films have a tendency to bounce back when least expected. The genre could rise from the ashes yet again—after all, in Hollywood, anything is possible!