Morbiuswas the beginning of the end forSony’s Spider-Man Universe, but I didn’t truly understand just how badly it performed at the box office until comparing it to the few Marvel movies that made less. Now thatSony’s Spider-Man Universe is defunct, it’s probably safe to say that we probably won’t see any more of Dr. Michael Morbius as he appeared in his debut movie. Now, it could be that the only hope of seeingMorbius adapted once more into live-actionis tied to the MCU and whatever deal Marvel Studios can strike with Sony.
Whatever the case, it is safe to say that Morbius’s reputation has been tarnished by thefailures of Sony’s Spider-Man Universe. AlthoughMorbiuswasn’t irredeemable, it remains one of the lowest-rated superhero movies ever made, heralding the downfall of the franchise afterVenomandVenom: Let There Be Carnageset the franchise on a decent trajectory. Unfortunately, the disfavorMorbiusdrew is reflected in its box office take-home, a result that is only compounded when considering worse-performing movies.
Morbius' Infamous Reputation Resulted In It Having One Of Marvel’s Lowest Box Offices
Morbius Didn’t Fare Well Critically
Like many other stars of Sony’s Spider-Man Universe,Morbius suffered in part for the fact that it featured a Spider-Man-adjacent character without Spider-Man featuringat all. This state of affairs wasexacerbated by what many perceived as a dishonest marketing campaign, with references toSpider-Man appearing in theMorbiustrailerthat ultimately did not materialize. This was underpinned by the movie itself being largely underwhelming, culminating in a cascade of mocking memes.
The sheer number of memes based onMorbiusinfamously led to the movie being re-released, only to fail once more at the box office.
AlthoughMorbiuswas far fromthe worst movie in Sony’s cinematic franchise, with some fans praising the action sequences and Morbius’s character design,this all led to the movie grossing just $163 million worldwideaccording toThe Numbers. Against a budget of $75 million, this madeMorbiusSony’s first of three flops in Sony’s Spider-Man Universe. By comparison, the MCU’s lowest-grossing movie,The Marvels, grossed $200 million, although this was arguably a far worse result against a budget of $270 million. Still, comparingMorbiusto movies that grossed less paints a dismal picture.
Looking At The Marvel Movies That Did Worse At The Box Office Underlines How Low Morbius' Results Were
Many Movies Are Much Older And Less Publicized
Morbiuswas, of course, followed by two worse-performing installments of Sony’s Spider-Man Universe whenMadame WebandKraven the Huntergrossed just $100 million and $60 million worldwide, respectively, with the latter hammering the final nail in the coffin for the franchise. Nevertheless,these movies were released afterMorbiushad already shaken faith in the franchise, forcing them to face an uphill struggle. Of the remaining Marvel movies that grossed less thanMorbius, however, the vast majority were older and were released with far less box office expectations. Some of the better-known examples include:
The majority of these installments are considered some ofthe worst superhero movies everreleased, which goes to show how poorlyMorbiusperformed critically. Nevertheless,even thoughBlade IIgrossed nearly $10 million less thanMorbius, the fact that it was released two decades beforeMorbiusmeans that its $154 million take-home was actually a huge successat the time.Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeancewas also considered a box office success against a production budget of $57 million.
Why Morbius' Box Office Results Are Lower Than Most Other Marvel Movies
Morbius Was Too Obscure And The Timing Was Wrong
Looking atMorbius' box office results compared to other Marvel movies proves just how much of an outlier it is. This is due to a variety of factors, most obviously including the fact thatMorbius is a particularly obscure character whose solo venture was released during a time when fervor surrounding superhero movies was beginning to subside.The Marvelssuffered a similar fate in 2003 for similar reasons, as knowledge surrounding two of the three titular heroes was predicated on watching two Disney+ shows.
While movie delays aren’t always indicative of lower quality, it is rarely seen as a good sign among many audiences, helping to sour sentiments on the movie before it has even been released.
UnlikeThe Marvels, however,Morbiussuffered far worse critically in its opening weekend. This severely hampered its chances in subsequent weeks due to low expectations, which were already lowered by the several delays leading up to its release. While movie delays aren’t always indicative of lower quality, it is rarely seen as a good sign among many audiences, helping to sour sentiments on the movie before it has even been released.
