"The Marvels," the highly anticipated 33rd installment in Disney's Marvel Cinematic Universe, is gearing up for one of the lower box office debuts in MCU history. According to Variety, the big-budget superhero sequel is projected to generate $60 million to $65 million from 4,000 North American theaters during its opening weekend.

If these projections hold true, "The Marvels" would join the ranks of films with the lowest MCU debuts, currently occupied by 2008's "The Incredible Hulk" ($55.4 million) and 2015's "Ant-Man" ($57.2 million), without accounting for inflation. While "The Incredible Hulk" had limited success at the box office, "Ant-Man" ultimately garnered enough global earnings to warrant a trilogy with a total gross of $519 million worldwide.

Unfortunately for "The Marvels," it is also expected to significantly lag behind its predecessor, 2019's "Captain Marvel," which premiered to an impressive $153 million. Benefitting from its release date sandwiched between two highly successful films, "Avengers: Infinity War" and "Avengers: Endgame," "Captain Marvel" surpassed the $1 billion mark globally, becoming one of seven Disney films to achieve such a feat that year. In contrast, "The Marvels" may struggle to reach even half of that box office success.

However, all hope is not lost for "The Marvels." Projections suggest that the film could make up some ground internationally, potentially earning around $80 million, resulting in a worldwide start of $140 million or more. This could help alleviate the financial pressure on the film, considering its production costs of $220 million, along with an estimated $100 million spent on global marketing efforts.

In an attempt to combat the negative buzz surrounding the film, Disney unveiled a new trailer this week that emphasized the connections to the beloved Avengers characters, including Iron Man, Captain America, Valkyrie, and Thanos. While the majority of the studio's marketing has positioned "The Marvels" as a standalone adventure within the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the inclusion of these iconic characters seeks to generate additional excitement among fans.

"The Marvels" is helmed by Nia DaCosta, making her the youngest filmmaker and first Black woman to direct a Marvel movie. The action-adventure film highlights the dynamic trio of superheroes, with Brie Larson reprising her role as Captain Marvel, alongside Teyonah Parris as Monica Rambeau and Iman Vellani as Ms. Marvel. Together, they embark on a mission to save the universe from looming threats.

While "The Marvels" has faced mixed reviews from critics, with a 52% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, there have been positive elements noted, including the film's breezy runtime, the shortest in the MCU thus far, and Iman Vellani's portrayal of Ms. Marvel. Variety's chief film critic Owen Gleiberman, however, criticized the movie as "skittery and episodic," describing it as "a sequel mired in entropy."

With its anticipated box office debut fast approaching, fans and industry insiders will be closely observing the performance of "The Marvels" to see how it fares in the ever-expanding world of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.