Marvel Studios has injected some much-needed energy into the North American box office with the debut of “Captain America: Brave New World,” pulling in an estimated $88.5 million in ticket sales over the weekend, The Associated Press reports.
The Walt Disney Co. release marks the biggest opening of 2025 so far, and the studio projects it will reach $100 million domestically and $192.4 million globally by the end of Monday’s Presidents’ Day holiday.
This release is significant as it marks Marvel’s first major offering since “Deadpool & Wolverine” shattered records last summer, revitalizing a fanbase that had shown signs of waning after the disappointing performance of “The Marvels.”
Playing in 4,105 locations across the US and Canada, “Brave New World” also represents a major shift for the “Captain America” franchise, officially passing the shield to Anthony Mackie’s Sam Wilson, taking over from Chris Evans who portrayed the iconic character for nearly a decade. Harrison Ford co-stars as the US President who undergoes a surprising transformation into the Red Hulk.
Despite the strong opening, “Brave New World,” directed by Julius Onah, faced an initial hurdle of lackluster reviews. Currently, the film holds a “rotten” score of 51% on Rotten Tomatoes, placing it among the lower-rated films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, though above “Eternals” (47%) and “Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania” (46%). However, audience sentiment appears to be more positive, with a “verified audience score” of 80% on Rotten Tomatoes and a CinemaScore of B-. Exit polls indicated that men comprised 63% of the opening weekend audience.
Compared to other MCU films, “Brave New World’s” debut falls within the middle range, sitting between “Guardians of the Galaxy” and “Thor: The Dark World” when not adjusted for inflation. The film also boasts a relatively modest production budget of $180 million, excluding marketing and promotional costs.
“Brave New World” is the first of three major theatrical releases from Marvel slated for 2025, following a 2024 that saw only one Marvel film in theaters. “Thunderbolts(*)” is scheduled for release in May, followed by “The Fantastic Four: First Steps” in July.
Box Office Top 10:
Here are the estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore:
- “Captain America: Brave New World,” $88.5 million.
- “Paddington in Peru,” $13 million.
- “Heart Eyes,” $10 million.
- “Dog Man,” $9.7 million.
- “Ne Zha 2,” $7.2 million.
- “Love Hurts,” $4.4 million.
- “Mufasa: The Lion King,” $4.2 million.
- “One of Them Days,” $3 million.
- “Companion,” $1.9 million.
- “Becoming Led Zeppelin,” $1.8 million.
Overall, the box office is up 20% compared to the same weekend last year.
Notably, the new “Bridget Jones” movie, “Mad About the Boy,” bypassed theaters in the U.S. and went straight to Universal’s streaming service Peacock. However, in the U.K. and Ireland, it earned an estimated $14.9 million, outgrossing “Captain America: Brave New World” in those markets. Universal Pictures International reported $32.3 million in total grosses from 70 territories.
Final domestic box office figures will be released on Tuesday.
