The Marvel Universe has once again taken the box office by storm with the release of “Captain America: Brave New World”. The highly-anticipated film has infused blockbuster cash into the North American box office, bringing in an impressive $88.5 million in ticket sales over the weekend, according to studio estimates on Sunday. This makes it the biggest opener of 2025 and the company predicts it will hit $100 million domestically and $192.4 globally by the end of Monday’s Presidents’ Day holiday.
This latest installment in the Marvel franchise is the first major release since “Deadpool & Wolverine” broke records last summer, re-energizing the fanbase and proving that the superhero genre is still going strong. “Brave New World” is a major transition for the “Captain America” brand, as it anoints Anthony Mackie’s Sam Wilson as the new Cap, officially taking over from Chris Evans who played the character for almost a decade. The film also features Harrison Ford as the U.S. president who transforms into the Red Hulk.
Despite receiving some poor reviews, “Brave New World” has proven that it doesn’t need the stamp of approval from critics to soar at the box office. The film currently holds a 51% “rotten” rating on Rotten Tomatoes, but this has not deterred audiences. The “verified audience score” on Rotten Tomatoes is 80%, and its CinemaScore is a B-. Exit polls also showed that men made up 63% of the opening weekend audience.
The bar for the biggest opening of the year wasn’t set particularly high, with “Dog Man” holding the title for two weeks with its $36 million launch. However, “Brave New World” has surpassed this with its impressive $88.5 million opening. It also falls within the middle range for an MCU film, sitting between “Guardians of the Galaxy” and “Thor: The Dark World”. What’s even more impressive is that the film had a production budget of only $180 million, significantly less than many other big-budget Marvel movies.
After only one Marvel movie in 2024, “Brave New World” is the first of three major theatrical releases set for 2025. It will be followed by “Thunderbolts” in May and “The Fantastic Four: First Steps” in July, keeping audiences on the edge of their seats with excitement for what’s to come.
Paul Dergarabedian, the senior media analyst for Comscore, commented, “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.” This sentiment is evident in the success of “Brave New World”, which has proven that the demand for superhero movies is still strong.
In second place at the box office this week was “Paddington in Peru”, the third installment in the beloved franchise. Despite finally opening in North America this weekend, the Sony film earned an estimated $13 million and is expected to hit $16 million by Monday. The film has already been a success internationally, with a total of $104 million from its release in the United Kingdom in November 2024.
“Heart Eyes”, a slasher film released by Sony and Screen Gems, landed in third place with $10 million, a 20% increase from its opening last weekend. In fourth place was “Dog Man” with $9.7 million, and the Chinese blockbuster “Ne Zha 2” rounded out the top five with an opening of $7.2 million on 660 screens in North America. Overall, the box office is up 20% from last year, showing that moviegoers are eager to return to theaters.
This weekend also saw the release of a new “Bridget Jones” movie, subtitled “Mad About the Boy”. However, it went straight to Universal’s streaming service Peacock, forgoing theaters in the U.S. In the U.K. and Ireland, it made an estimated $14.9 million, outgrossing “Captain America: Brave New World”. Universal Pictures International reported $32.3 million in grosses from all 70 territories.
In conclusion, “Captain America: Brave New World” has once again proven the enduring popularity of the Marvel Universe and the superhero genre. Despite some initial criticism, the film has soared at the box office and has become the biggest opener of 2025
