In a shocking turn of events, the latest Marvel Cinematic Universe installment, ‘The Marvels,’ decided to take the road less traveled during its opening weekend, setting a new record for the most modest debut in the franchise’s illustrious history. Forget higher, further, and faster; ‘The Marvels’ opted for a more grounded approach, raking in a mere $47 million domestically.

Initial expectations had the film soaring between $75 million and $80 million, but in a surprising twist, it chose to keep it real and settled for a more down-to-earth range of $60 million to $65 million. Internationally, it managed to scrape together $63.3 million, making its global total a whopping $110.3 million.

“Despite not aiming for the stars domestically, ‘The Marvels’ once again proved that the international marketplace is its superhero sidekick,” said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst at Comscore. “Now, the film will embark on a thrilling Thanksgiving holiday corridor adventure, hoping to rescue its profitability and secure its spot in the superhero hall of box office fame.”

While critics handed out lukewarm reviews, giving it a 62% on Rotten Tomatoes, audiences seemed more forgiving, offering a solid 85% score. Still, Disney faced a heroic task trying to lure moviegoers for the 33rd MCU film, well aware that CEO Bob Iger already hinted at a Marvel slowdown. Will it happen? Let’s wait and see.