Captain America: Brave New World Faces Box Office Disaster

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The movie “Captain America: Brave New World” didn’t break any records during its opening weekend, but it still made a significant amount of money, around $100 million over the President’s Day holiday. Despite some negative feedback, this sequel in the Marvel Cinematic Universe was a strong start for Anthony Mackie as Captain America. However, movies are usually evaluated based on their performance in later weeks, and it appears that “Brave New World” might not sustain its momentum for long.

Based on Deadline’s reports, initial predictions for the second weekend at the box office for “Captain America: Brave New World” are approximately $30 million. Unless something unexpected happens, it is expected to retain its position as the top domestic box office earner, surpassing Neon’s horror comedy “The Monkey,” which aims to rake in around $17 million. However, earning $30 million after making over $100 million during the first weekend, despite it being a holiday, indicates a significant decrease compared to other MCU films. Even considering that an extra day was included in the opening weekend total, resulting in an $88 million opening, this drop from one weekend to the next is still substantial. If these forecasts prove accurate, “Brave New World” might face challenges in reaching the required milestone for profitability.

Regardless if we call it a nearly 70% decrease over the four-day weekend or a 66% drop from its initial $88 million three-day earnings, Brave New World will be among the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s (MCU) poorest box office debuts. Compared to The Marvels (78%) and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (70%), it’s not looking great for Brave New World. It appears that it will be joining films like Black Widow (68%), Thor: Love and Thunder (68%), and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (67%) in this unenviable category. It will likely earn over $30 million this weekend, but it’s still in some pretty poor company.

What Went Wrong With ‘Captain America: Brave New World’?

The response to Captain America: Brave New World has sparked quite a debate among critics and audiences alike. Critics seem to have slightly skewed opinions towards the negative side, resulting in a Rotten Tomatoes rating that hovers around 50%. Over the past week, this score has even dropped a few points. However, on Rotten Tomatoes’ audience meter, it enjoys an impressive 80% approval rating. Contrastingly, on CinemaScore, the film received a rather dismal B- grade from regular cinema goers. While a B may not seem too bad, it is important to note that this rating system is known for being excessively positive, even towards critically panned films.

Just like any film that receives a variety of opinions, it seems that “Captain America: Brave New World” faced challenges from the outset. Prominent among these was the extensive reshoots conducted last year by Marvel Studios, which led to the inclusion and exclusion of numerous characters, including several members of the Serpent Society. It’s been suggested that certain scenes, such as the puzzling post-credits scene and the underwhelming climactic battle in the third act, were tinkered with right up until the film’s premiere. While additional filming on a big-budget production isn’t uncommon, when these changes become noticeable to viewers, they can negatively impact the overall movie experience.

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2025-02-20 00:35