We're just weeks away from the start of Phase 5 in Marvel's Cinematic Universe, which means it's the perfect time to gauge the impact previous projects have had. Despite being the worst-reviewed MCU movie to date and a massive flop at the box office, Eternals was viewed for 4.236 billion minutes in 2022, making it the only MCU movie in the top 15.
Seeing Eternals as the most popular MCU movie of the previous year is of course surprising to many, given the production quality we have been accustomed to in the previous four phases. It's hard to live up to fan-favorite Spider-Man: No Way Home, but Eternals has managed to carve up a spot for itself on streaming platforms. The report from Nielsen shows that Eternals was the ninth most popular Disney+ movie in 2022, and the only MCU movie to crack Disney's top 10.
More importantly, Eternals was the 13th most popular movie on streaming services, which is great news considering the film barely managed to gross $400 million at the global box office despite its $200 million budget. Not only is this a major low for an MCU movie but it also goes in spite of the poor reception it received. Upon its release on Nov. 5, 2021, Eternalsbarely mustered up a 47 percent score on Rotten Tomatoes. The audience had a warmer reception to the release, giving it a 77 percentile rating.