Eternals tops the box office but earns the MCU's lowest audience grade


Marvel's Eternals had a solid debut at the top of the box office this weekend. But for Disney, there's still some cause for concern.
The new Marvel superhero film took in $71 million at the domestic box office, scoring the fourth best opening weekend of the pandemic, Variety reports. The debut came in behind the Marvel Cinematic Universe's previous entry, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, which grossed $75.3 million over three days in September.
Still, Eternals' debut was on the lower end of expectations, The Hollywood Reporter notes. It likely didn't help that despite being directed by Oscar-winner Chloé Zhao, the movie earned mixed reviews and received the lowest score of any MCU movie on the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes. It also became the first movie in the MCU to draw a "Rotten" score on the site, as 48 percent of critics gave it a favorable review.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Reception among audiences also appeared to be less positive than most Marvel films. The movie earned a B CinemaScore, a rating that's obtained by polling average moviegoers, according to The Hollywood Reporter. While a B might not sound bad, the Reporter notes it's the lowest CinemaScore rating of any film in the 13-year history of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Marvel Studios' movies almost always receive an A or an A- grade, and the previous lowest CinemaScore for an MCU film was a B+ for 2011's Thor. Analysts noted that if Eternals' word-of-mouth isn't strong, this could spell trouble for its long-term box office performance.
"You have to keep things in perspective," Exhibitor Relations analyst Jeff Bock told Variety. "For any other studio this kind of result would be a major, major hit. But the disturbing news for Disney is the critical reception for Eternals and how that will impact word-of-mouth going forward. You could see a steep drop in the box office in its second or third weekends."
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.
-
The trial of Jair Bolsonaro, the 'Trump of the tropics'
The Explainer Brazil's former president will likely be found guilty of attempting military coup, despite US pressure and Trump allegiance
-
Telephobia: why young people are being taught how to make phone calls
In The Spotlight Young people are so scared of calls that they 'scream' when their phone rings
-
Sudoku medium: September 2, 2025
The Week's daily medium sudoku puzzle
-
Florida erases rainbow crosswalk at Pulse nightclub
Speed Read The colorful crosswalk was outside the former LGBTQ nightclub where 49 people were killed in a 2016 shooting
-
Trump says Smithsonian too focused on slavery's ills
Speed Read The president would prefer the museum to highlight 'success,' 'brightness' and 'the future'
-
Trump to host Kennedy Honors for Kiss, Stallone
Speed Read Actor Sylvester Stallone and the glam-rock band Kiss were among those named as this year's inductees
-
White House seeks to bend Smithsonian to Trump's view
Speed Read The Smithsonian Institution's 21 museums are under review to ensure their content aligns with the president's interpretation of American history
-
Charlamagne Tha God irks Trump with Epstein talk
Speed Read The radio host said the Jeffrey Epstein scandal could help 'traditional conservatives' take back the Republican Party
-
CBS cancels Colbert's 'Late Show'
Speed Read 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert' is ending next year
-
Shakespeare not an absent spouse, study proposes
speed read A letter fragment suggests that the Shakespeares lived together all along, says scholar Matthew Steggle
-
New Mexico to investigate death of Gene Hackman, wife
speed read The Oscar-winning actor and his wife Betsy Arakawa were found dead in their home with no signs of foul play