Captain America: Brave New World - What's Driving Its $100 Million Holiday Weekend Success?

This image, released by Disney, features Anthony Mackie in a scene from Marvel Studios' Captain America: Brave New World. (Eli Adé/Marvel Studios-Disney via AP)

By  BELINDA FOSTER

Updated 2:53 PM EST, February 16, 2025

“Captain America: Brave New World” injected significant funds into the North American box office, earning $88.5 million in ticket sales over the weekend, according to studio estimates on Sunday. The Walt Disney Co. release is the largest opener of 2025, with the company projecting it will reach $100 million domestically and $192.4 million globally by the end of Monday's Presidents’ Day holiday.

This marks Marvel’s first major release since “Deadpool & Wolverine” shattered records last summer, revitalizing a Marvel fanbase that some feared was diminishing following the disappointing performance of “The Marvels.”

This Disney-released image features Harrison Ford (left) and Anthony Mackie in a scene from Marvel Studios' Captain America: Brave New World. (Eli Adé/Marvel Studios-Disney via AP)

Showing in 4,105 locations across the U.S. and Canada, “Brave New World” represents a significant shift for the “Captain America” franchise: It introduces Anthony Mackie’s Sam Wilson as the new Captain America, officially succeeding Chris Evans, who portrayed the character for nearly a decade. Harrison Ford co-stars as the U.S. President who turns into the Red Hulk.

However, "Brave New World," directed by Julius Onah, faced a challenge as it entered the weekend: unfavorable reviews. Despite this, superhero films can succeed without critical acclaim. The movie currently holds a 51% "rotten" rating on Rotten Tomatoes. While it's not the lowest in the Marvel Cinematic Universe—"Eternals" has a 47% rating and "Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania" has a 46%—the latest film is certainly near the bottom of the scale.

In his review for The Associated Press, Mark Kennedy described it as “a highly processed, empty calorie, regret-later candy of a movie.”

Audiences were more favorable in their views. The “verified audience score” on Rotten Tomatoes was 80%, and its CinemaScore was a B-. Exit polls indicated that men comprised 63% of the opening weekend audience.

The benchmark for the biggest opening of the year wasn't very high: “Dog Man” held the title for two weeks with its $36 million debut.

And “Brave New World’s” showing is the middle range for an MCU film. Not accounting for inflation, it sits between “Guardians of the Galaxy” and “Thor: The Dark World.”

It also cost significantly less than many of the big budget Marvel movies, with a reported production price tag of $180 million, excluding the millions spent on marketing and promotion.

After only one Marvel movie in 2024, “Brave New World” is the first of three major theatrical releases set for 2025. It is to be followed by “Thunderbolts(asterisk)” in May and “The Fantastic Four: First Steps” in July.

Harrison Ford attends the premiere of Captain America: Brave New World on Tuesday, February 11, 2025, at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

“The superhero genre has taken a hit over the past few years, but audiences still have a huge interest in seeing them on the big screen,” said Paul Dergarabedian, the senior media analyst for Comscore.

Second place at this week’s box office went to “Paddington in Peru,” the third installment in the beloved franchise, which finally opened in North America this weekend. Released by Sony, it earned an estimated $13 million and should hit $16 million by Monday. The StudioCanal film opened in the United Kingdom in early November 2024 and went into the weekend with $104 million from its international run.

Dougal Wilson assumed the role of director from Paul King for this movie, with Emily Mortimer taking over the role of Mrs. Brown from Sally Hawkins. The rest of the main cast, including Ben Whishaw as the voice of Paddington, remained unchanged.

Sony and Screen Gems’ slasher film “Heart Eyes” secured third place with $10 million, marking a 20% increase from its debut last weekend. “Dog Man” claimed fourth place with $9.7 million.

The Chinese hit “Ne Zha 2" completed the top five, opening on 660 screens across North America and earning $7.2 million. Overall, the box office has risen by 20% compared to last year.

Anthony Mackie (left) and Harrison Ford attend the premiere of Captain America: Brave New World on Tuesday, February 11, 2025, at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

This weekend also featured the release of a new “Bridget Jones” film, titled “Mad About the Boy,” which bypassed U.S. theaters and was released directly on Universal’s streaming service Peacock. In the U.K. and Ireland, it earned an estimated $14.9 million, surpassing “Captain America: Brave New World.” Universal Pictures International reported $32.3 million in earnings from all 70 territories.

Final domestic figures will be released Tuesday. Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore:

1. “Captain America: Brave New World,” $88.5 million.

2. “Paddington in Peru,” $13 million.

3. “Heart Eyes,” $10 million.

4. “Dog Man,” $9.7 million.

5. “Ne Zha 2,” $7.2 million.

6. “Love Hurts,” $4.4 million.

7. “Mufasa: The Lion King,” $4.2 million.

8. “One of Them Days,” $3 million.

9. “Companion,” $1.9 million.

10. “Becoming Led Zeppelin,” $1.8 million.