Captain America: Brave New World may not be the sure-fire hit Marvel Studios has been hoping for, but it made a splash during its four-day opening weekend at the box office. Despite its detractors, the MCU sequel made $100 million over the holiday weekend, taking advantage of Presidents’ Day on Monday. It’s not record-breaking by any means, especially by Marvel’s ridiculously high standards, but it was a solid theatrical debut for Anthony Mackie’s Captain America. However, most movies are judged at the box office according to their staying power in subsequent weeks, and it seems Brave New World might be plummeting down to earth soon.
According to Deadline, early estimates for the second weekend at the box office for Captain America: Brave New World are at just over $30 million. Unless there is a major upset, it will remain at the top of the domestic box office, beating out Neon’s horror comedy The Monkey, which is looking to make a killing at $17 million. That said, a $30 million figure after making $100 over the first weekend, albeit during a holiday, puts the drop among the MCU’s worst. Even discounting the extra day, which would put it at an $88 million opening, it is still a major drop from weekend to weekend. If these projections hold, Brave New World could have trouble reaching the milestone necessary to turn a profit.
Whether it is considered a roughly 70% drop with the four-day weekend, or just a 66% decline from its $88 million three-day opening number, Brave New World will be among the MCU’s worst drops at the box office. While The Marvels (78%) and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (70%) reign supreme, Brave New World will likely join the likes of Black Widow (68%), Thor: Love and Thunder (68%), and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (67%). Of course, it will probably make a bit more than $30 million this weekend, which will skew the aforementioned numbers slightly, but it is still in bad company.
What Went Wrong With ‘Captain America: Brave New World’?

The reception to Captain America: Brave New World has been divisive, to say the least. When it comes to critics, they have been leaning slightly on the negative side of the conversation. On Rotten Tomatoes, it has been floating around a rotten 50% rating, and has lowered a few times over the past week. The audience score on Rotten Tomatoes paints a different picture, as it stands proudly with an 80% rating on the Popcornemeter. Meanwhile, on CinemaScore, Brave New World nabbed a very disappointing B- from general moviegoers. Of course, a B does not sound that bad, but the rating system tends to be notoriously positive on even critically panned films.

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As with any release that gets mixed reviews across the board, a mix of “issues” likely plagued Captain America: Brave New World from the start. The most obvious being the significant reshoots that went on last year, which saw Marvel Studios add and remove a bevy of characters, including several members of the Serpent Society. Certain sequences, which rumors say include the head-scratching post-credits scene, and the anti-climactic third-act battle, were meddled with up until the movie’s release. Of course, additional photography on a blockbuster is not unusual, but when it becomes obvious to audience members, it can weigh the overall film down.

Captain America: Brave New World

3.5
/5

Release Date

February 14, 2025

Director

Julius Onah

Franchise(s)

Captain America, Marvel Cinematic Universe