Things are not going exceptionally well for Julius Onah's Captain America: Brave New World. While the latest film from the Marvel Cinematic Universe has maintained the top spot at the domestic box office for three weeks in a row, the numbers driving its performance are not exactly what anyone would call elite. In fact, the blockbuster is still trying to break out of the proverbial basement where the history of the franchise is concerned, as it appears as though it's destined to end up as one of the MCU's lowest grossing titles.
Captain America 4 did battle with Alex Parkinson's based-on-a-true-story drama Last Breath as the prime new release, and you can check out the early numbers in the domestic Top 10 below. After you peruse the chart, join me after for analysis.
TITLE | WEEKEND GROSS | DOMESTIC GROSS | LW | THTRS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
1. Captain America: Brave New World | $15,000,000 | $163,696,598 | 1 | 3,800 |
2. Last Breath* | $7,800,000 | $7,800,000 | N/A | 3,018 |
3. The Monkey | $6,376,000 | $24,617,349 | 2 | 3,227 |
4. Paddington In Peru | $4,500,000 | $31,359,000 | 3 | 3,705 |
5. Dog Man | $4,200,000 | $84,060,000 | 4 | 3,055 |
6. Mufasa: The Lion King | $1,900,000 | $247,996,607 | 7 | 1,705 |
7. Ne Zha 2 | $1,710,000 | $17,910,000 | 5 | 600 |
8. Heart Eyes | $1,325,000 | $28,887,000 | 6 | 2,406 |
9. The Unbreakable Boy | $1,200,000 | $4,532,392 | 8 | 1,717 |
10. One Of Them Days | $925,000 | $47,471,000 | 10 | 875 |
Captain America: Brave New World Remains In The Bottom Three Of The MCU Worldwide
In the days prior to its arrival, Captain America: Brave New World didn't exactly light anyone's hair on fire, earning mostly tepid reactions from critics, and since then, things have not been going particularly well for the blockbuster beyond its ability to stay on top of the charts (which, frankly, says more about its competition than anything else). First, it became one of the rare MCU films to debut with only a seven-figure gross in the United States and Canada, making only $88.8 million in its first three days, and then it followed that performance with a painful 68 percent weekend-to-weekend drop.
Things haven't been going well for Captain America 4, and the ticket sales from its latest Friday-to-Sunday aren't helping its reputation. According to The Numbers, the film starring Anthony Mackie, Harrison Ford and Giancarlo Esposito made just $15 million during Oscar weekend. That brings its domestic total to date up to $163.7 million.
That would be a great performance for a mid-budget, original release, but we're talking about the biggest movie franchise of all time here and one that cost $180 million to make (according to The Hollywood Reporter). So far, the film has made just $341.8 million worldwide, which is more than only two other features in the canon: Nia DaCosta's The Marvels ($199.7 million) and Louis Letterier's The Incredible Hulk ($265.6 million). As fans know, those are titles that any production wants to be associated with in a conversation about box office within the legacy of the MCU.
In order to not be ranked in the bottom three at the worldwide box office for the franchise, the film needs to add about $29 million more, which will allow it to outgross Joe Johnston's Captain America: The First Avenger from 2011 (without accounting for inflation). Above that is Cate Shortland's Black Widow, which made $379.8 million during its theatrical run (but let's not forget that it was released day-and-date on streaming).
Will it succeed? It's not guaranteed. Compared to this time last year, blockbuster competition is minimal (March of 2024 included the releases of Denis Villeneuve's Dune: Part Two, Mike Mitchell's Kung Fun Panda 4, Adam Wingard's Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire and Gil Kenan's Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire), but the film is at a point now where it's performance is less about what else is playing on the big screen and more about remaining general interest. Anyone who had a real passion to see Captain America: Brave New World prior to release has already seen it at this point, and word of mouth is not motivating people to check it out while its still in theaters.
Needless to say, there will continue to be eyes on its performance until it leaves cinemas and makes its way to digital and streaming.
Last Breath Debuts In Second Place With A Soft Opening Weekend
Captain America: Brave New World in part kept its place at the top of the domestic chart because Last Breath didn't manage to cause much of a stir among movie-goers. Based on the documentary of the same name and featuring a talented ensemble cast including Woody Harrelson, Simu Liu and Cliff Curtis, the new release made just $7.8 million in its first three days playing in over 3,000 locations.
As far as 2025 debuts go, it's a performance that puts the title behind Josh Ruben's Heart Eyes, which made $8.3 million in its first three days, but the drama is unlikely to experience the second weekend uptick that the slasher film got thanks to Valentine's Day. Last Breath appears to be getting positive buzz from audiences, as CinemaScore surveys from opening weekend patrons returned a "B+" grade, but that doesn't suggest a passion that will have everyone telling their friends they must see it while its playing on the big screen.
The Monkey Takes A Modest Drop In Its Second Weekend
With Captain America: Brave New World still making eight-figure totals and Last Breath arriving, Osgood Perkins' The Monkey got pushed down to third place in its second weekend, but it's still making money. Weekend-to-weekend, the new Stephen King adaptation saw its ticket sales drop about 55 percent from $14 million to $6.4 million, and it has made $24.6 domestically to date.
Per Vulture, The Monkey only cost between $10-11 million to make, so its theatrical run has been successful to date. The new film won't be able to match the success of Osgood Perkins' Longlegs from last year, which finished its worldwide run making over $126 million, but it's a solid start for a year that is going to see the release of at least two more King adaptations in cinemas: Mike Flanagan's The Life Of Chuck starring Tom Hiddleston and Edgar Wright's The Running Man starring Glen Powell.
Looking ahead to Friday, Bong Joon-ho's long-awaited follow-up to Parasite – Mickey 17 starring Robert Pattinson – will be arriving in theaters, and it will be fascinating to see how it performs against everything else that is currently playing. Be sure to head back here to CinemaBlend next Sunday to see how everything shakes out in the Top 10, and check out our 2025 Movie Release Calendar to plan your next excursion to your local theater.
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