We say this all the time, but they shouldn't be surprised. People found they enjoyed watching at home and reserve their theater going for the big FX-heavy blockbusters only. Add to that movies have a short leash and a fast turnaround to streaming now too. I think with these trends that a box office approaching but not quite getting to 4 billion is not shocking at all, and should be expected as a norm. They have to get those budgets under control and adjust to the new reality. If Godzilla minus One (to pick an example) can be done on a shoestring budget and look good, then so can an MCU movie. CGI is expensive, but it doesn't have to cost 200 million.

How about writing a movie that doesn't have a 1000 characters fighting a 1000 characters.

It's almost 20 years old, always think of the behind-the-scenes doc for Superman Returns and how the production team took several months to purchase and plant a field of corn in Australia at significant expense for a flashback scene that had no bearing on the film's story. I think there's a really similar mindset with CGI, where the director would rather create an expensive fake environment instead of finding the right real-world environment with the same vibe.