Diversity once again proves to be profitable for Marvel Studios. Captain Marvel, staring Brie Larson as the title character, is projected to gross a massive $160 million in its domestic opening weekend, according to ScreenRant. If Captain Marvel does as well as projected, its domestic opening will be one of the best in Marvel history and set the film up to cross the all-important $1 billion dollar plateau.
Captain Marvel will be the twenty-first entry into the MCU and the first film centered around a female heroine. Disney and Marvel hope to match the critical and financial success of DC’s superheroine blockbuster, Wonder Woman (2017), which holds a 93% on Rotten Tomatoes and grossed over four-hundred twelve million dollars in the domestic box office alone.
Marvel Studios plans to experience similar success to their groundbreaking hit, Black Panther. Panther was the first film centered around a black African superhero not only in the MCU, but in any superhero cinematic cannon. Along with almost universal critical praise, Panther boasts 2 Golden Globe nominations and a global box office of over $1.3 billion dollars. As Marvel widens their cast of heroes, they continue to prove that diverse representation is profitable in mainstream markets.
Captain Marvel opens in theaters on March 8.