Eternals opened to preview showings last night, pulling in a substantial $9.5 million. Movies have taken a big hit at the box office, though within the context of this impact, Eternals certainly made a strong showing in its debut. The film's Thursday previews have had the third-best showing during the pandemic, behind Black Widow and Venom: There Will Be Carnage. Eternals brought in just a little more than Shang-Chi's $8.8 million preview opening. The film has earned $19.8 million dollars in its first two days on the international market.

Eternals follows a group of powerful extraterrestrials who look over our world and their later attempts to protect Earth from a potentially apocalyptic event. Eternals has an all-star cast, including Salma Hayek, Angelina Jolie, and Kumail Nanjiani. Chloé Zhao, who won the Academy Award for Best Picture for Nomadland, directed the film, her first blockbuster film and foray into the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Eternals serves as a milestone for inclusion for Marvel in many ways, including its inclusion of the MCU's first openly gay character as well as a Deaf protagonist. However, despite these groundbreaking elements and Zhao's awards season sweep last year, Eternals has had a mixed reception from critics, with many citing the slow pace and reliance on expository storytelling as detractors from the film, though the visuals have been nearly universally praised.

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Despite the tepid critical reception, Eternals is expected to have an explosive opening weekend, with a projected $75 million opening weekend box office. The film also marks a shift in Marvel's cinematic universe, with many of the most iconic heroes and Avengers stepping back from their previous roles in the universe. Eternals is one of several titles on Marvel's docket set to shift the studio into a new era, with shows like Hawkeye, Ms. Marvel, Moon Knight, and She-Hulk also set to air on Disney+.

Eternals is now playing in theaters.