New York – The highly anticipated release of “Captain America: Brave New World” had audiences flocking to theaters on its opening weekend, but the film’s second week saw a sharp decline in ticket sales. Despite remaining at the top of the box office with $28.2 million in ticket sales, the film’s 68% drop from its debut has raised concerns about the future of the Marvel franchise.
While it is not uncommon for blockbusters to see a significant decrease in ticket sales in their second week, “Brave New World” has joined the ranks of only two other Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) titles that have experienced such a steep decline: 2023’s “The Marvels” and 2023’s “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania”.
Critics have been quick to slam the film, and audiences have also given it a less than stellar “B-” CinemaScore. Fans had high hopes that “Brave New World” would bring back the magic of the pre-“Avengers: Endgame” era, but it seems that the once invincible Marvel brand is struggling to recapture its former glory.
Despite the disappointing reception, “Brave New World” has still managed to gross $289.4 million worldwide, with international sales reaching nearly $150 million. With few big-budget releases in the coming weeks, the film is expected to face little competition through much of March.
The biggest new release of the weekend was Oz Perkins’ “The Monkey”, the director’s follow-up to his 2024 horror hit, “Longlegs”. Adapted from a Stephen King short story, “The Monkey” opened with an impressive $14.2 million for indie distributor Neon, making it their second-best debut after “Longlegs” which launched with $22.4 million.
Neon had much to celebrate over the weekend, as their top awards contender “Anora” by Sean Baker continues to gain momentum leading up to the Academy Awards next Sunday. The film, which is a favorite for the Best Picture category, added wins at the Independent Spirit Awards on Saturday.
“The Monkey”, starring Tatiana Maslany and Theo James, tells the story of an old monkey toy found in an attic. While reviews have been positive with a 77% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes, audiences have given it a less enthusiastic C+ CinemaScore. However, it is worth noting that horror films typically receive lower scores from audiences.
Similar to their marketing strategy for “Longlegs”, Neon used cryptic promotion and macabre marketing for “The Monkey”. The film even had a funeral-themed premiere at Los Angeles’ Immanuel Presbyterian Church, and fan screenings were held at the Hollywood Cemetery. Produced by James Wan, the film had a budget of $10 million.
In addition to “The Monkey”, Neon and Blumhouse have found success with their low-budget collaborations, with more projects in the works. Even if “The Monkey” does not reach the heights of “Longlegs” which grossed $126.9 million globally, fans can look forward to the release of “Keeper” this October.
Lionsgate’s “The Unbreakable Boy” had a disappointing opening weekend, grossing only $2.5 million in 1,687 theaters. The Christian-themed film, directed by Jon Gunn and starring Zachary Levi and Meghann Fahy, tells the story of parents who discover their son is autistic and has brittle bone disease.
“Paddington in Peru”, the third installment of the beloved marmalade-loving bear, fell to third place in its second weekend with $6.5 million in ticket sales. The film has been more successful overseas, grossing $150 million thus far.
In its second weekend, “Ne Zha 2”, the animated Chinese blockbuster, brought in $3.1 million from 800 theaters. In China, the sequel has grossed an impressive $1.7 billion this month, breaking numerous box office records. These numbers have surpassed “Inside Out 2” ($1.66 billion) to become the highest-grossing animated film of all time.
Here are the top 10 movies by domestic box office, with final figures set to release on Monday. This list takes into account estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore.
1. “Captain America: Brave New World,” $28.2 million
