Phase Three of the Marvel Cinematic Universe continues to pump out the hits, as every single blockbuster has been a critical and financial success. This includes the newest installation, Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck's 90's origin story Captain Marvel. Brie Larson finally made her Marvel debut as Carol Danvers, in a capsulated story that had connections to the greater MCU, including Guardians of the Galaxy. And it's making a ton of money at the box office.
Prior to its release, it wasn't clear how much of a hit Captain Marvel would be. Audiences hadn't met the title character yet, and there was some backlash and online trolling directed toward Brie Larson. But that hasn't stopped the blockbuster from raking in the cash, as it recently broke $500 million at the global box office. And it's not even a week old.
This box office update comes to us from Variety, and shows how Captain Marvel is going higher, further, faster than the film's haters predicted. Captain Marvel's success was far from guaranteed in the time before it finally arrived in theaters, although moviegoers are clearly shelling out cash to meet the ultra powerful protagonist.
Captain Marvel is the first time a brand new character has gotten their own MCU blockbuster in years, as both Spider-Man and Black Panther appeared in Captain America: Civil War before getting their respective solo movies. And while Hope became a superhero in Ant-Man and The Wasp, fans knew and loved her from the first movie.
Pre-sales for Captain Marvel no doubt helped its strong box office performance, as the hardcore Marvel fandom ran to theaters to see the penultimate installment of the MCU's Phase Three. In fact, it was among Marvel's strongest in regards to pre-sales, so its domestic opening weekend was winning before it began. The international markets have been particularly kind to Carol Danvers, as the movie has made $325.6 million in its first week in theaters across the world.
Ahead of the film's release, Captain Marvel star Brie Larson came under fire for comments she made about diversity in the press. With the film industry's focus on inclusion both in front of and behind the camera, Larson lamented that most film critics were white men. This comment proved to be the catalyst for some serious trolling, as haters took to the film's Fandango and Rotten Tomatoes pages, and sent audiences scores plummeting.
But the haters who claimed they were boycotting Captain Marvel don't seem to have made much of a difference, given how quickly the film has ascended to the $500 million mark. It should be fascinating to see how much more money the blockbuster makes for Marvel Studios, and how Brie Larson's signature character becomes a larger presence in the greater MCU.
Captain Marvel is in theaters now, and the title character will pop back up in Avengers: Endgame on April 26th. In the meantime, check out our 2019 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.
