Captain America: Brave New World Crushes the Competition with Record-Breaking Debut

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Over the past five years, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has experienced a shift in its reputation among critics, with recent blockbusters failing to garner the same level of acclaim as earlier releases, and fewer titles generating the same level of buzz. However, one impressive record remains intact: every Marvel Studios film released since their debut has opened at number one on the weekend box office. This streak will inevitably end, but Julius Onah’s “Captain America: Brave New World” is contributing to its continued survival.

In the lead-up to its premiere, the newest Marvel Cinematic Universe addition received a wide range of reactions (my review on TopMob gave Captain America 4 just two stars), yet there was sufficient intrigue from moviegoers that it managed to open at number one on the domestic box office rankings. For the full Top 10 rundown, take a look below and stay tuned for further analysis.

Captain America: Brave New World Has The Biggest Opening Weekend Of 2025 Thus Far, But There Are Reasons To Worry About Its Future

In recent times, it was nearly a given that a Marvel Studios film would earn over $100 million at the box office upon release. However, this trend has significantly shifted due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Nowadays, not every movie can be expected to become a blockbuster hit. There are still some notable successes, such as Jon Watts’ “Spider-Man: No Way Home” (which had the second largest MCU opening ever in December 2021) and Shawn Levy’s “Deadpool & Wolverine” from the previous year. Unfortunately, “Captain America: Brave New World” didn’t perform as well as these titles.

Based on initial figures, the new movie featuring Anthony Mackie and Harrison Ford has generated $88.5 million during its first weekend at the North American box office. Compared to opening weekends of Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) films, it falls between Jon Watts’ “Spider-Man: Far From Home” ($92.6 million) and Alan Taylor’s “Thor: The Dark World” ($85.7 million). While it could be improved upon, its performance is far from dismal; you may recall that Nia DaCosta’s “The Marvels” made roughly half of the debut earnings for “Captain America: Brave New World” when it premiered in November 2023.

To begin with, the movie has a good kickoff, but there are valid concerns about its long-term success in the box office. Although Marvel Cinematic Universe still maintains a dedicated fanbase that consistently supports new blockbusters, the franchise has encountered difficulties in recent years regarding maintaining audience interest from one weekend to the next, especially when films don’t generate much positive response. For instance, “The Marvels” saw its ticket sales plummet by 78% on the second Friday-to-Sunday, while “Thor: Love and Thunder,” directed by Taika Waititi, dropped by 68%, and “Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania,” directed by Peyton Reed, experienced a 70% decline.

It seems quite possible that the movie “Captain America: Brave New World” could be an example of a box office flop. Although there can sometimes be disagreements between critics and viewers, it appears unlikely this will occur with this film. Additionally, the CinemaScore for the latest Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) production is not impressive. Compared to the audience-rated grades of “A-“, “A”, and “A” given to the previous three Captain America movies – John Johnston’s “Captain America: The First Avenger,” Joe and Anthony Russo’s “Captain America: The Winter Soldier,” and “Captain America Civil War” – the fourth film in the series has received a lower grade of “B-.

If “Captain America: Brave New World” sees a 70% decline in its second weekend earnings, translating to only $26.6 million domestically, this won’t bode well for the movie’s long-term success. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the film carries an estimated production budget of $180 million (excluding promotional and advertising expenses), and it might take some time to recoup these costs at the current pace.

It’s evident that foreign funds would be beneficial, and so far, the movie is garnering an audience in international markets. Interestingly, despite “America” being in the title, this blockbuster performed better over the weekend outside of the U.S. (and Canada) than it did within these borders. To date, the film has grossed a total of $180.9 million worldwide.

Paddington In Peru Performs Decently As Box Office Counterprogramming

As a die-hard movie enthusiast, I’ve noticed that when a major Marvel Cinematic Universe film hits theaters, it often dominates the box office without much competition. But this weekend was different! While Captain America: Brave New World was unleashed by Marvel Studios, Sony Pictures countered with Dougal Wilson’s charming adventure, Paddington In Peru. Interestingly, Captain America had a softer opening than usual, which paved the way for the new Paddington sequel to post some impressive numbers at the box office.

The movie titled “Paddington in Peru” has been warmly received worldwide since it was initially released overseas last fall, and the lovable title character is particularly well-liked. So far, the film has garnered over $115 million abroad, and this week it made its U.S. debut, adding an additional $13 million to its global earnings. Compared to modern box office standards, $13 million might seem modest, but it actually surpasses the $11 million that “Paddington 2,” directed by Paul King, earned in its opening weekend back in 2018. Interestingly, the first “Paddington” film by King opened with a larger sum of $19 million.

In contrast to “Captain America: Brave New World,” given the current success of family-friendly films, it’s quite plausible that this lighthearted journey will enjoy a successful box office stint over the next few weeks.

Heart Eyes Gets A Major Valentine’s Day Bump To Leap Frog Over Dog Man

Concluding this weekend’s box office summary, I would like to highlight the less-discussed film “Heart Eyes” by Josh Reuben. Initially released on February 7, it beat Valentine’s Day and faced competition from the Super Bowl on television. The initial performance wasn’t impressive. However, this weekend saw a surprising turn of events for the romantic slasher movie.

The movie maintained its theater count, yet surprisingly increased its ticket sales by 20% from the previous weekend, raking in $10 million over the last three days. This is an impressive and noteworthy growth for a movie with a modest budget, and it marks another triumph for the horror genre, as horror enthusiasts have been devouring films so far this year in 2025.

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2025-02-16 23:38