Morbius Defies Critics With Eye-Popping Box Office Haul
It's no secret that the critical response to "Morbius," the latest superhero film from Marvel and Sony Pictures, has been nothing short of abysmal thus far. The film currently holds a 17% critic's rating on Rotten Tomatoes, which puts it in the running as one of the worst-reviewed Superhero movies of all time (via Forbes). Critics across the internet have been exceptionally brutal in their assessments of "Morbius," with many levying criticisms at the film's nonsensical story and awful pacing.
Mark Kennedy of the Associated Press wrote that the film is a "forgettable, often laughable, entry in Sony's attempt to fill its own Spider-Man adjacent cinematic universe," and went on to call it a "poorly edited, derivative time suck." Emily Zemler of Observer was similarly ruthless in her criticism, saying that "unless your ticket is free, don't bother. This movie is as lifeless as the bodies Morbius drains and throws on the floor."
It's clear that most critics seem to absolutely despise "Morbius" — which makes the film's box office success all the more remarkable.
Morbius is currently at the top of the domestic box office
In spite of the overwhelmingly negative critical response that "Morbius" has received, the film grossed $84 million during its opening weekend (via Variety). The movie's impressive haul includes $44 million internationally and $39 million in domestic ticket sales, rising above "The Lost City" and "The Batman" to claim the number one spot at the domestic box office (via Box Office Mojo).
"Morbius" is currently the eighth highest-grossing movie of 2022, and has already made back every penny of its reported $75 million budget — though admittedly, we have yet to see how the film performs as we move further into April. In any case, it's nothing short of remarkable that the film has managed to defy the critics and rise to the top of the box office. We'll have to wait and see how the film performs in the upcoming weeks, but as of right now, it seems like the critics have not put a dent into the public's desire to see "Morbius."