The new movie “Eternals” opens this weekend and with it, Marvel hopes it can launch a series of films as successful as the “Avengers.” But there’s been skepticism from fans about the new movie, which introduces new characters and is directed by Oscar winner Chloé Zhao. Her previous films “The Rider” and “Nomadland” were critically acclaimed indies — this is her first time taking on a big budget superhero movie.
“Eternals” features a love scene, a first for a Marvel film, and includes a same-sex kiss. That resulted in the movie being banned in Saudi Arabia and several other countries in the Middle East.
The launch of “Eternals” will be a test for Marvel to see if the company can have success by going in a different direction. Marvel is hoping “Eternals” can land opening weekend numbers somewhere in the range of its recent films “Black Widow” and “Shang-Chi,” but some industry insiders are skeptical the movie will do that well.