Walt Disney’s premiere of Marvel’s Eternals looked like business as usual for a superhero movie. Hollywood Boulevard was jammed with costumed fanboys and fangirls, watching Angelina Jolie and the film’s other stars pose for photos.

But that’s where the similarities may end. In the past, Marvel films frequently brought in $100m (about R1,5bn) or more in opening weekend ticket sales domestically. Eternals will probably open to much less this weekend, the latest film to miss that bar in the pandemic era. 

After shelving movies while cinemas were closed, studios are finally releasing their big-budget pictures, only to confront pandemic-wary audiences and a changed theatrical world, with even Marvel feeling the pinch. ..