Teyonah Parris Responds to “The Marvels” Box Office Fizzle: 'Give It a Fair Shot' (Exclusive)

"You do not have to like something, but give it a chance by actually seeing it and forming your own opinion," the actress tells PEOPLE

Teyonah Parris has a message for those quick to cross The Marvels off their watch list: “Give it a fair shot.”

A follow-up to 2019's Captain Marvel, the movie debuted in theaters Nov. 10, just one day after the actors' strike (which prevented stars Parris, Brie Larson and Iman Vellani from speaking about the project beforehand) came to an end.

For Parris, 36, who joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Captain Monica Rambeau in WandaVision during the pandemic, this meant another chance to promote her “dream role" had been thwarted.

“I haven't actually done a full press run where I get to engage one-on-one, in person, face-to-face with fans,” the actress tells PEOPLE. “I wanted to be a part of that and feel that.”

Related: Brie Larson Says She Doesn't 'Have Anything to Say' About Her Future with Marvel After The Marvels Fizzled

With Parris’s lips sealed by the strike and so-called “superhero fatigue” leaving cinephiles and comic lovers uninterested, the movie marked an all-time low for Marvel Studios at the box office.

In 2019, Captain Marvel opened to $153 million at the domestic box office. In its opening weekend, The Marvels made just $47 million. And just about everyone seemed to have a theory for the fizzle.

"I think there was a lot of talk, and people hadn't seen it. So that's frustrating, when people comment on things they haven't actually experienced,” says Parris, adding that “there's a lot of people who put a lot of their time, spirit and talent into bringing this forward.”

The actress asks that people “show grace” — after they actually watch the movie, that is.

“I would hope that people would give it a fair shot by just seeing it or trying it,” says Parris. “If you don't like the first 10, 15 minutes, fair enough. Your time is precious. But we make these films so that it can be an escape from your real world in a moment for levity and joy and fantasticalness.”

Related: Everything to Know About 'The Marvels'

“You do not have to like something, but give it a chance by actually seeing it and forming your own opinion,” she adds. “And if you did, then that's fair. That's how you feel, and I cannot take that from you.”

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When it comes to widespread superhero fatigue — the burn-out moviegoers are experiencing from the genre's frequent releases — Parris can’t help but “wonder.”

“I think people want good movies,” she says. “And if there's superheroes and there's passion and there's storytelling, and you're not giving it to me by numbers, I think people are here for it.”

“So I don't know,” she continues. “I think we say that because it's easy to just say, ‘Oh, superhero fatigue,’ but I think we want — because I watch them as well — I want good stories with great characters, and that mean something and have something to say.”

And the critics? Well, Parris knows they have something to say too.

“I think that you're going to have people who have something to say about everything,” she says. “What I try to do is remember the work that I put into it, the heart that I put into it, the crew who've given over a year of their lives to make this happen, their excellence, and what it felt like to just be around good people who are super, super talented.”

The WandaVision star also reminds herself of the sacrifices that her husband, James, and their 1-year-old daughter made so she could “step into this Black woman's super shoes and super suit and save the world.”

“My family sacrificed a lot too, for me to be able to go away for a year,” she says. “So I think about those things and try not to engage in things that aren't positive, because there's a lot going on in the world. A lot. I have to protect my peace.”

Related: The Marvels Star Iman Vellani Reacts to Movie's Poor Box-Office Performance: 'That's for Bob Iger'

As for Monica’s return to the franchise, Parris says she doesn’t “know anything officially, unfortunately.”

But should her story continue, the actress wants to return to the “heart” of storytelling. In other words, the narrative qualities that charmed MCU fans in the first place.

“We're at a transition time where the people creating the stories have to get back to the heart and the root of what this is,” she says. “And this is ordinary people who become extraordinary and are in extraordinary circumstances, and watching them struggle and get to and through those experiences.”

"I think if we remain true to that, people will stay engaged and interested,” she adds.

The Marvels is now available to stream on Disney+ and available to purchase on DVD and Blu-ray.

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