Sadly, for actor Iman Vellani, one of the stars of Marvel Studios’ latest feature, “The Marvels,” the discussion surrounding the release of the film has revolved around the box office performance. The film opened to the lowest debut for a MCU film ever, and its second weekend has experienced the biggest drop for the studio. This is a shame because Vellani, along with her co-stars Teyonah Parris and Brie Larson, weren’t able to go out there and give the film proper promotion before the release, due to the SAG strike, so now, they have to answer questions that really aren’t focused on what is still a fun MCU romp.
Speaking to Yahoo, Iman Vellani talked quite a bit about “The Marvels,” especially the fun stuff that was cut from the film. But considering the narrative surrounding the box office of the film, she was also asked about that situation. And considering this is the major feature debut for Vellani, and you might assume she would be heartbroken about the box office, she has a very simple response.
“I don’t want to focus on something that’s not even in my control because what’s the point?” Vellani said. “That’s for [Disney CEO] Bob Iger.”
She added, “[The box office] has nothing to do with me. I’m happy with the finished product, and the people that I care about enjoyed the film. It’s genuinely a good time watching this movie, and that’s all we can ask for with these films. It has superheroes, it takes place in space, it’s not that deep and it’s about teamwork and sisterhood. It’s a fun movie, and I’m just so happy that I can share it with people.”
Vellani isn’t wrong. Unless she has some sort of massive back-end financial agreement, where she makes money off the box office profit, the situation really isn’t much of a concern for her. In fact, when you grade the film based on the content of the story, you will quickly realize that Vellani is, by far, the best thing about “The Marvels.” Her performance, and the natural charisma she possesses, comes through in spades, and she elevates every scene she is part of. So, even though the box office isn’t really where Marvel Studios would like it to be, Vellani is clearly someone that the studio will be looking to anchor projects in the future. Hell, the say so much in one of the final scenes of the film.
But in an industry where media-driven narratives and early box office performance seem to make-or-break films, it’s hard to see “The Marvels” as anything other than a loss for Marvel Studios. At least, its young star is taking things in stride.
“The Marvels” is in theaters now.