However, while uncertainty currently defines Eternals 2, it’s not attributed to a lack of trying on the part of the current film’s plot. Indeed, following the climactic events (which we will carefully navigate in a SPOILER-FREE manner), the immense ensemble was left notably reduced but more solidified than ever, as emerging leader Sersi (Gemma Chan) and company come to the realization that Earth is worth saving, even against Celestial-level plans. The film also sets its place in the MCU by addressing the continuity difficulties that came with its very premise of powerful immortal cosmic beings living incognito on Earth—namely why they remained passive even during events like Thanos’s genocidal, population-halving Snap of Avengers: Infinity War.
“I think the Infinity Stones fell into our lap and really helped connect things in ways that felt unexpected and earned,” adds Moore of its established connections to Thanos and the Infinity Gauntlet. “If you just watch Eternals, you can enjoy Eternals, you can understand Eternals and you’re good to go.”
Additionally, the film even continues the sequel-teasing MCU tradition of intriguing, seed-planting mid-credits scenes, hinting the comic-destined fate of Sersi’s mortal love interest, Dane Whitman (Kit Harington), and even introduces a Thanos-connected comic character from Jim Starlin’s Infinity Saga who was notably missing during the MCU movie version. It’s a notion that seemingly weakens any conceit—implied or otherwise—of Eternals being designed specifically as a standalone cinematic offering. Yet, it’s a notion that Moore maintains.
“We felt like there was enough story that it could be a contained universe,” continues Moore on the possibility of Eternals being left as a standalone. “We definitely have ideas of how things can cross over later. But this movie with 10 characters and Dane Whitman and the Celestials and the Deviants, there was enough for us to play with.”
Of course, Eternals arrives as part of the MCU’s multi-medium Phase Four slate, which kicked off in unconventional manner this past January with Disney+ TV series WandaVision; a lineup that had the misfortune of landing in the middle of the pandemic. Thusly, Moore might be hedging Marvel’s bets with his standalone claim. It’s understandable, since the film faces a performance bar that was significantly lowered from the $2.8 billion worldwide apex of 2019’s Avengers: Infinity War, during which any entry earning less than $1 billion worldwide was considered a disappointment. Comparatively, the $427 million recently grossed by Shang-Chi—a tally that would be anemic in normal times—is now considered a game-changing pandemic-era success. Yet, Shang-Chi arrived amidst equally-inauspicious circumstances, but still managed to resonate with audiences in a personal manner. However, the high-concept-driven Eternals is a different animal, and arguably a tougher sell.
Nevertheless, Eternals has already achieved an accolade, with its reported Thursday preview night domestic gross of $9.5 million having surpassed the $8.8 million earned by September’s Shang-Chi, which achieved its success during a more pessimistic, variant-fixated pocket of the pandemic. While that number still places Eternals behind the $13.2 million preview night numbers earned by July’s Black Widow and the $11.6 million of October Sony-Marvel sequel Venom: Let There Be Carnage, it could still be a sign that Eternals is getting off on the right foot in its opening weekend, especially with its international two-day tally boost of $19.8 million. Whether or not the money will ultimately talk loud enough to justify a follow-up remains to be seen.
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