Tomorrow brings the long-awaited theatrical debut of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Eternals, which is currently tracking for an opening weekend in the $75 million range after initial projections were revised down from a potential $100 million debut.
The driving force behind the bar getting set lower are the reviews, which continue to trend downward with each passing day. At the time of writing, the 26th installment in the franchise is currently sitting on a Rotten Tomatoes score of 53%, which means that it’s not only the MCU’s sole Rotten effort, but it’s also miles behind the previous 66% low set by Thor: The Dark World.
Despite this, director Chloé Zhao is remaining equal parts optimistic and grateful, posting a heartfelt message on her Instagram page ahead of Eternals‘ nationwide rollout on Friday, which you can check out below.
The fact we got five Transformers movies from Michael Bay proves that bad reviews don’t mean a thing if a hefty profit is made, but the pressure is now well and truly on for Eternals to deliver on that front. The middling critical reactions have already jeopardized the chances of a sequel in the eyes of many, but the MCU hasn’t suffered a genuine flop yet, so there’s plenty of reasons to remain optimistic.