Marvel Cinematic Universe blockbuster Eternals may have wrapped shooting in February 2020, just weeks before the world was ground to a standstill by the effects of the pandemic, but the intergalactic epic was still hit hard by the worst global health crisis in generations.
Not only was the movie delayed by an entire year as a result, but it hasn’t been able to fly as high at the box office as it would have done under normal circumstances, even if a haul of almost $370 million after three weeks is still an impressive return for the standards of the time, never mind for the worst-reviewed installment in MCU history.
Director Chloé Zhao has regularly been praising fans for how much they enjoyed Eternals, and over the Thanksgiving weekend the two-time Academy Award winner was at it again, outlining in an Instagram post how grateful she was for the success of the comic book adaptation, especially when the first test screening was held in a parking lot.
There’s no word yet on whether Eternals will perform well enough to justify a sequel, but a lot of people are hoping that the gang gets back together sooner rather than later. The 26th installment in the series is set to pass Black Widow‘s global box office by the end of this week, so the chances are looking pretty good.