Summary
Morbiusdidn’t perform well at the box office and became one ofMarvel’s flop movies. Daniel Espinosa, who directed the movie, admitted he wasn’t the best person to helm it.
Espinosa is a Swedish director, producer and screenwriter. Among his most famous works are the horror sci-fiLife (2017), the crime thrillerChild 44(2015), the action thrillerSafe House(2012), and the crime thrillerEasy Money(2010). In June 2018, Espinosa was hired to direct Sony andMarvel’sMorbiusstarring Jared Leto.Morbiuswassubjected to multiple delaysbefore it was finally released in 2022. The long wait was supposed to build up the anticipation among fans. However, the numbers at the box office were underwhelming, and it received poor reviews from critics, who felt that while it wasn’t the worst,it was the most forgettable.Morbiusonly got a 15% rating from Rotten Tomatoes and failed to attract more moviegoers while it was showing.Espinosa addressed the film’s performance over two years after its release, saying he wasn’t the best director for the project.
In an interview withDeadlineat the Taormina Film Festival, where his movieMadame Lunascreened, Espinosa was asked if he was affected byMorbius’underperformance at the box office. The director gave an affirmative response before explaining why he felt he wasn’t the best fit for the project. Espinosa said, “Yes. To make a movie through committee, I think, is very hard, and I felt in the end that maybe a different director would have been a better fit.” He also hinted about their creative differences, which may have affected the overall production of the film. He added, “I’m known amongst the studios to be a person with a lot of opinions, and maybe they were not looking for that kind of director.”
Morbiushad a $75 million budget but only managed to make $39.1 million in its opening weekend. Its ticket sales didn’t come close to 2018’sVenom($80 million debut) and its 2021 sequelLet There Be Carnage($90 million debut). It alsohad a 74% drop in its second weekend.Morbius' performance made several experts conclude that fans do not just flock to cinemas because the film is from Marvel. Instead, they also weighed in on whether the movie was worth the money.Shawn Robbins, chief analyst at Box Office Pro, said at the time, “The Marvel brand carries a prestigious selling point for moviegoers, but that’s a luxury that comes with great responsibility to deliver crowd-pleasing films of a certain caliber. Audiences are savvy, and their commitment to a franchise depends on consistent output of quality storytelling.”
Sony and Marvel were trying toexpand the Spider-Man universeby focusing on the villains. Its first attempt,Venom, also received negative reviews from critics. However, Tom Hardy’s performance was praised and Eddie Brock’s hilarious relationship with his symbiote, Venom, entertained many and made the film relatable and funny to viewers. For instance, in one scene, Eddie calls Venom a parasite while talking to a woman at a store, and the latter orders him to apologize. While it didn’t perform as expected,Venomwasn’t really a flop.Venommade $856 million at the box office with a $100 million budget. Its sequel,Let There Be Carnage,made $506 million with a $110 million budget.
In contrast toMorbius, everything seemed out of place from acting, pacing, plot and characters. Not one character stood out. They were not funny enough or relatable enough to make them unforgettable. There is nothing in them that fans will love or hate. The lack of characterization was probably one of the reasons behind its poor ratings. With an estimated budget of $75 million,Morbiusonly made between $163 and $167 million worldwide, only confirming that it wasn’t worth starting a new franchise. However, Sony and Marvel dodged a bullet. WhileMorbius' post-credit sceneshint at more, it seems unlikely thatMorbius 2will materialize following the negative reviews and underwhelming performance at the box office.
