The Marvels may actually have one of the highest budgets for a Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) movie.
In an article on Forbes, Disney claims that The Marvels actually cost $270 million with a $55 million subsidy from the United Kingdom. Prior to that subsidy, that number is $140 million more than was reported by Vanity Fair earlier this week in its coverage of the film. If true, that means The Marvels is actually one of the most expensive films ever made by Marvel Studios, rather than the cheapest. For reference, the other two Phase Five films, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, only cost $200 and $250 million to make, respectively. In fact, the only movies that are more expensive are those from the Avengers series, which have generally costed more due to their ensemble casts. However, when the subsidy is taken into account, the number is pretty par for the course for Marvel Studios projects, which have hovered around $200 million over the last few years.
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It’s not clear at this time where the disparity between the two reports is coming from. It’s possible that Disney may be factoring in marketing expenses, or that Vanity Fair‘s earlier number was simply incorrect. Hollywood accounting can be an odd and finicky thing. Regardless, a $219-$270 million budget is massive, especially when several major superhero movies have failed to make as much of an impact at the box office lately. Based on conventional estimates, The Marvels would have to make 2-3x that amount for it to be seen as breaking even. Still, 2019’s Captain Marvel earned more than a billion at the box office, so such a take is entirely possible.
The Marvels follows Kamala Khan, AKA Ms. Marvel, Carol Danvers, AKA Captain Marvel, and Monica Rambeau as they find that their powers have become intertwined, causing them to switch places whenever they use their abilities. This requires them to team up to figure out just what is happening to them.
The Marvels is slated for release on Nov. 10.
