Box Office: ‘Captain America: Brave New World’ Flies to Heroic $100 Million Over Presidents Day Holiday Weekend

by

In its initial release, “Captain America: Brave New World” raked in an impressive $88.5 million at the box office. Analysts predict that the movie’s domestic earnings could reach as high as $100 million by the end of the Presidents Day holiday on Monday.

Against all odds, and despite some less-than-favorable critiques and low viewer ratings, I found myself drawn to the latest addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe from Disney – their 35th entry, no less! To my surprise, it opened as projected and even managed to secure the biggest opening weekend of the year.

Worldwide, “Captain America: Bold New Horizon” grossed an extra $92.4 million, bringing its total to $192.4 million by Monday. This sequel has a budget of around $180 million, with Anthony Mackie stepping into the role of Captain America from Chris Evans, who played the iconic Avenger for almost a decade in Marvel films. Directed by Julius Onah (“The Cloverfield Paradox), “Captain America: Bold New Horizon” finds Sam Wilson, portrayed by Mackie, at the heart of global chaos following the election of Thaddeus Ross (played by Harrison Ford) as president.

2025’s first blockbuster weekend, as I’ve come to witness, left me in awe, according to senior Comscore analyst Paul Dergarabedian.

Over the recent holiday, cinemas across the country were undeniably bustling due to many people choosing to watch movies. However, industry experts are intrigued about how long “Captain America” will continue to attract crowds at the box office. Historically, Disney’s Marvel films have had strong openings regardless of critical feedback, but recent titles such as “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania,” “Eternals,” and “The Marvels,” which received mixed to poor reviews, dropped sharply after their initial debuts. “Brave New World” currently holds a Rotten Tomatoes average of 51%, one of the lowest ratings in the entire MCU. Furthermore, it received a “B-” from CinemaScore exit polls, which is among the lowest grades in the extensive film franchise. Cinema operators are hoping that “Captain America” will continue to be a box office success for several weeks because there’s no other four-quadrant blockbuster on the release calendar until Disney’s “Snow White” remake on March 21st.

Apart from Cap’s debut, Sony’s “Paddington in Peru” also made its grand entrance to cinema marquees. This third installment of the marmalade-loving bear series earned $13 million over the weekend, with an estimated $16 million during the extended holiday period. The family film received rave reviews from both critics and audiences, garnering a 94% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and an “A” grade on CinemaScore.

The third film adaptation of “Paddington,” the beloved series by British author Michael Bond, has been more successful among international viewers, just like its predecessors. To date, the latest “Paddington” movie, produced by StudioCanal at a cost of $90 million, has garnered $103 million internationally. As of now, the third installment lags behind its earlier counterparts in terms of global box office earnings; for instance, 2014’s “Paddington” amassed a total of $326 million worldwide, while its 2017 sequel, “Paddington 2,” collected an impressive $290 million globally.

As a cinephile, I was thrilled to see that Sony’s chilling slasher “Heart Eyes” had an impressive surge over Valentine’s Day weekend. This R-rated flick, centered around a masked killer who strikes on the most romantic of holidays, managed to secure the third spot with a weekend gross of $10.1 million and an estimated $11.4 million through President’s Day. This represents a significant 22% increase from its initial $8.5 million debut, pushing the domestic box office total to a robust $22.9 million. The film, financed by “Scream” backers Spyglass Media Group, appears poised to wrap up its run in the black.

After holding the top spot for two consecutive weekends, “Universal’s and DreamWorks Animation’s dog-centric crime adventure ‘Dog Man’ moved down to fourth place during the weekend, earning an additional $9.73 million. By Monday, it’s estimated that the film brought in around $12.5 million more. To date, “Dog Man” has accumulated a domestic gross of $69.5 million and a global total of $84.4 million, all while staying within its $40 million budget.

Completing the list of the top five is “Ne Zha 2,” a Chinese-language animated film that’s been a massive success within China, earning over $1.1 billion so far. The movie, which is being shown in only 660 theaters, brought in $7.3 million over the weekend and is expected to earn an additional $8.3 million during the holiday period.

More to come…

Read More

2025-02-16 19:16