Disney might be worried about how “The Marvels” will do theatrically, as early box office estimates are low. Now, they are releasing new “Marvel Studios Legends” episodes featuring Carol Danvers (Captain Marvel,) Kamala Khan (Ms. Marvel,) and Monica Rambeau (Photon) to Disney+ ahead of the theatrical film release. It’s likely in an attempt to drum up interest.

So far, the box office projections are not looking good. They are staying low at only $50 – $75 million for its domestic opening weekend and $121 – $189 million for its complete domestic run. While the film will be released in China, it’s unlikely to do the numbers Disney needs to save it, especially since the budget is reported to be about $275 million, which is about twice what was originally reported. This means the film would need to do almost $600 – $700 million to make a profit.

These low estimates are occurring even with “The Marvels” having little competition at the box office and getting to run on IMAX screens after “Dune 2” moved to 2024 and vacated their exclusive spot. It’s not looking good.

Disney is acting like a company worried about their next film’s performance. Given how most of their other 2023 theatrical releases fared, it’s understandable why they are concerned.

What is also concerning for “The Marvels” is that most people don’t even know who these characters are. Disney has tried to make Ms. Marvel stick with audiences through comics, a video game, and even the Disney+ show, but it has yet to work. “Ms. Marvel” is one of the lowest-viewed Marvel shows on Disney+. Meanwhile, unless fans watched “WandaVision,” they will likely not know Monica Rambeau. Yet these are two of the leads in the new film.

It seems Disney is trying to boost audience awareness with their streaming service:

In a press release, Disney listed shows coming in November to Disney+, and among the listings were three new “Marvel Studios Legends” episodes.

“Carol Danvers”
Captain Marvel landed in the MCU with her own film, and was established as one of the most powerful heroes yet unveiled. Originally a pilot named Carol Danvers, the Captain gained her power when exposed to energy from the Tesseract. LEGENDS retraces Captain Marvel’s journey, as she discovers her truth, repels an alien invasion, and finally stands with the Avengers in their fight against Thanos

“Kamala Khan”
Kamala Khan might be a teenager struggling with your average coming-of-age issues, but she also has to cope with a set of bizarre powers derived from an ancient artifact inherited from her estranged grandmother. LEGENDS unpacks Kamala’s surprising journey, as she goes from a young woman who dreams about hanging with the Avengers, to a fledgling superhero who might actually get the chance one day.

“Monica Rambeau”
As a child, she called Captain Marvel “Auntie Carol” and helped the burgeoning hero pick out her uniform’s trademark colors. As an adult, Monica Rambeau became an agent of S.W.O.R.D. — and for a time, she was trapped inside a powerful HEX conjured by Wanda Maximoff. But Rambeau’s traumatic brush with Maximoff’s magic altered the agent on a cellular level, and imbued her with powers of her own.“

It seems Disney is trying everything it can to bring awareness to this film and the characters. Will it help? That has yet to be seen.

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