Eternals received the biggest MCU film debut in Disney Plus history.
A lot has been said about Chloe Zhao’s sci-fi epic Eternals, particularly regarding its critical and commercial reception. Eternals notably became the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s least acclaimed film, becoming the first in the franchise’s decade-long history to receive a Rotten rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Commercially, the film appears to have just broken even as it brought home just over $400 million on a budget of $200 million.
While the film did have its avid supporters at the time of its cinematic release, it looks like Eternals could very well become the MCU’s first cult classic. The Marvel film debuted on Disney Plus last week where it reportedly did gangbuster numbers. According to Samba TV, Chloe Zhao’s Eternals was viewed by 2 million households in its first five days, making it the largest MCU film to debut on Disney Plus.
With a 2 million household debut, the film bests Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings‘s 1.7 million households. With such a large debut, it’s entirely possible that Marvel could pivot its strategy for the characters, who aren’t necessarily confirmed to get their own sequel. While there have been rumblings that certain characters will return in the future, nothing has been wholly confirmed by Marvel or Disney. Only time will tell what Eternals‘ monumental debut on Disney Plus yields for the ever-expanding franchise.
Here is the synopsis for Eternals:
The story takes place across two time periods. One storyline is set in the past when they operated as a formidable team and a close family unit. The second storyline is in the present, when the group has fractured and split apart, content to live among humans, hiding in plain sight. The prevailing threat of the Deviants, which once again threatens the existence of mankind, means the Eternals need to put their differences aside and regroup.
Chloe Zhao directed Eternals from a script she co-wrote with Patrick Burleigh, Kaz Firpo, and Ryan Firpo. The cast of the Marvel Studios project includes Gemma Chan as Sersi, Richard Madden as Ikaris, Kumail Nanjiani as Kingo, Lia McHugh as Sprite, Brian Tyree Henry as Phastos, Lauren Ridloff as Makkari, Barry Keoghan as Druig, Don Lee as Gilgamesh, Kit Harington as Dane Whitman, Salma Hayek as Ajak, Angelina Jolie as Thena and Harry Styles as Starfox.
Eternals is available to stream on Disney Plus will be available on home media formats on February 15. Stay tuned for all the latest news on the future of the film’s characters, including Harry Styles’ Starfox, and be sure to subscribe to Heroic Hollywood’s YouTube channel for more original video content!
Source: Samba TV
