‘Captain America: Brave New World’ Hits $100 Million in Opening Weekend

The latest installment in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, “Captain America: Brave New World,” dominated the Presidents’ Day weekend box office, securing the number one spot with projections to rank as one of the holiday’s top openers.

According to Comscore, the fourth “Captain America” film garnered an impressive $88.5 million from Friday to Sunday, with expectations to exceed $100 million by the end of the holiday, positioning it as the fourth highest-grossing Presidents’ Day opener ever.

This debut would place the film just ahead of 2015’s “Fifty Shades of Grey,” which made $93 million, but still trailing behind other Marvel hits like “Black Panther” with $242 million in 2018, “Deadpool” at $152 million in 2016, and “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania,” which collected $120 million in 2023.

Paul Dergarabedian, a senior media analyst at Comscore, believes this release could reignite fan interest in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. “This film is drawing audiences back in, ensuring they feel the need to watch each installment as it’s all interconnected,” he explained to CNN.

While “Captain America: Brave New World” did not break any MCU records, it performed solidly compared to other franchise films. It aligned closely with the 2014 release of “Captain America: The Winter Soldier,” which opened at $95 million, and significantly outperformed the first film in the series, “Captain America: The First Avenger,” which made $65 million in its 2011 debut, roughly $91 million when adjusted for inflation.

The film’s performance is a positive sign for Disney and Marvel, especially following some recent underperforming openings. Daniel Loria, editorial director at The Boxoffice Company, pointed out that aside from the R-rated “Deadpool & Wolverine” which opened to over $200 million in July 2024, recent MCU releases have generally seen modest opening weekends.

Disney has strategically utilized the Presidents’ Day weekend to launch films, a practice that has historically yielded strong returns for superhero movies outside of the typical summer blockbuster season. Examples include the aforementioned “Deadpool,” “Black Panther,” and “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.”

Shawn Robbins, director of analytics at Fandango and founder of Box Office Theory, noted, “We sometimes overemphasize records, but there’s a noticeable increase in Presidents’ Day weekend performances year over year.” He added that the overall box office is up 22% from last year, partly due to disruptions caused by the SAG-AFTRA strike in 2024.

Looking ahead, Disney plans to release three Marvel films in 2025, which Robbins believes could bolster the brand’s reputation and boost theater revenues. These include “Thunderbolts” and “The Fantastic Four: First Steps,” scheduled for May and July, respectively.

The domestic box office saw a slight decline in 2024, reaching $8.7 billion, a 3.4% drop from 2023. However, Loria is optimistic for 2025, projecting ticket sales could climb to between $9.3 and $9.7 billion, potentially setting a post-pandemic high.