The Marvel Cinematic Universe may have had a perfect track record of Fresh scores in Rotten Tomatoes for the 25 films before Eternals, but the franchise eventually getting a "Rotten" score was an inevitability. Eternals' score has fallen well below the 60% range to earn a Rotten score on the Tomatometer, making it not just the MCU's lowest-scoring movie yet, but also the only Rotten score by a wide margin.

While the MCU has had its share of ups and downs, particularly in the early days of the franchise, the movies always managed to eke out a Fresh Rotten Tomatoes score, even in its worst-reviewed movies, The Incredible Hulk and Thor The Dark World. That kind of consistency is unheard of in Hollywood, especially for blockbuster franchises. Star Wars, Harry Potter, James Bond, The Lord of the Rings, X-Men, and the DCEU all have movies with Rotten scores, and all of them got them much quicker than Marvel, with the Harry Potter movies seeing the next longest streak of nine Fresh movies in a row, while the MCU managed to break that streak almost three times over before Eternals became the MCU's first Rotten movie.

Related: Why Eternals Rotten Tomatoes Score is So Bad and How Low Will it Go?

The "Marvel formula" worked wonders for the shared universe for over 13 years and 25 movies, earning 25 Fresh scores (23 of which earned the more stringent "Certified Fresh" label) and an average Tomatometer score of 85%, but that streak was broken by Eternals, which now stands at 54% (and will likely drop even more). It's often said that making a movie is a miracle considering all the pieces that have to come together to move it from concept to finished product, and making a movie that's both well-reviewed and financially successful is an even more impressive feat, so with Marvel's ambitious slate and a seemingly endless supply of movies continuing the franchise indefinitely, one of those movies eventually earning a Rotten score was always an inevitability.

Why Eternals Rotten tomatoes score is so bad

Much of Marvel's success has come from the franchise's ability to keep audiences excited for what's coming next, utilizing Easter eggs, spin-off opportunities, and post-credits scenes to fuel anticipation for the next big thing, all of which eventually culminates for a big payoff (and payday) in a big Avengers crossover. As a result, even for their movies that see a less enthusiastic response, reviews often cite the exciting set-up for future stories as the highlight. The strategy clearly works, considering the track record, but the risk of burn-out ("superhero fatigue") or simply not balancing all those precarious elements perfectly only increases with time, and Eternals is seemingly the straw that broke the camel's back. Whether it's due to the filmmaking itself, the movie's apparent separation from the rest of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, or all of the above, the cards just didn't land right with Eternals, and now that perfect streak is over.

Fortunately for the MCU, this is likely a speed bump at most, as many franchises have overcome far greater hurdles far earlier in their lifecycles, such as the Fast and Furious franchise, which struggled through four Rotten ranks before finally hitting its stride, seeing growing box office revenue and stronger reviews with most of its sequels, earning a spot in the top 10 movie franchises. While the low score could have an impact on Marvel's future plans, the film introduces a lot of new characters and concepts to the franchise, and how they're used in the future could improve how people see Eternals as those stories play out.

Next: The Most Overrated Movies in the MCU (According to Rotten Tomatoes)