The box office returns for The Marvels were far lower than the billion-dollar success of the first Captain Marvel movie. As a large studio, Disney released several box office bombs in 2023, including Wish and Haunted Mansion, among others. But as per Deadline’s yearly box office tournament, The Marvels topped Disney’s list of flops for that year. It even beat all other big-budget bombs of the year, including The Flash.
Disney lost over $200 million on The Marvels in 2023
The Marvels reportedly had a net loss of $237 million. It brought in $84.5 million domestically, which pushed its worldwide theatrical total to $206.1 million. Disney got to keep $88 million as revenue out of that, while the rest went to theater chains and other involved parties.
Adding to its theatrical revenue, The Marvels made $40 million from home entertainment rentals and purchases, and $90 million from streaming, bringing its total revenue to $218 million.
Its production budget was $270 million, while Disney spent $110 million on the film’s marketing. Another $21 million was added to the cost with residuals and other distribution expenses, while its interest and overhead mounted up to $54 million. Adding all expenses, Disney spent $455 million on The Marvels.
As a result, the total amount of money that The Marvels lost was calculated to be $237 million. Since Disney was able to get a $55 million subsidy from the UK while The Marvels was filming, the studio could subtract that out of its own net loss.
The Flash became 2023’s second-biggest box office flop
The DC movie The Flash was reportedly the second-biggest box office flop of 2023, reporting a net loss of $155 million for Warner Bros. Discovery.
Produced on a $200 million budget, an additional $120 million was spent on its marketing. The residuals and other distribution expenses were calculated to be $25 million. However, interest and overhead costs ballooned the film’s total expenses to $405 million.
The Flash was able to pull in $271.3 million from theaters worldwide. Out of that, its theatrical revenue amounted to $115 million. It was able to add $50 million from rentals and $85 million from TV and streaming. So, its total revenue turned out to be $250 million.
Deducting that out of its total cost, Warner Bros. lost $155 million on the film, which was still less than the initially reported estimates.
