While Captain America: Brave New World is expected to retain number one at the box office this weekend, it is also expected to have one of the steepest dips in Marvel Cinematic Universe history. According to Deadline, Brave New World is expected to bring in roughly $28 million domestically over its second weekend, representing a significant 68% fall from its premiere.
While that hold is stronger than the drop-offs seen by Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (70%) and The Marvels (78%), it still ranks near the bottom when compared to all of the titles in the franchise.
There are a few MCU films that have slipped in the 67-67.8% level, comparable to Captain America: Brave New World. This category comprises Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (67%), Spider-Man: No Way Home (67.5%), Thor: Love and Thunder (67.7%), and Black Widow (67.8%). Depending on how Brave New World does over the rest of the weekend, it might become the MCU’s third-lowest decline of all time.
With a domestic opening weekend gross of $100 million during the prolonged Presidents’ Day weekend, Captain America: Brave New World comfortably had the largest opening weekend of the year. But there were hints right away that it would not rank among the MCU’s highest grossing films.
Brave New World received mixed word of mouth, which negatively impacted its box office prospects.
Due to those factors, the expectation was that Brave New World would be front-loaded. Going into the weekend, projections indicated it would gross about $30+ million. Brave New World sports a production budget of around $180 million, a figure that’s actually much smaller than most recent Marvel movies.
Big Disappoint For Marvel
While Brave New World could still be profitable by the conclusion of its theatrical run, this is terrible news for Marvel. The project is significant within the larger context of the Multiverse Saga, as it establishes Sam Wilson as the next Leader of the Avengers.
EvenThough Anthony Mackie’s performance in the leading role was praised as one of the film’s highlights, Marvel and Disney were likely hoping for a much stronger turnout, building excitement for the MCU’s future.
Captain America: Brave New World might be able to hold on to the No. 1 spot for a third straight week, considering there are not any high-profile titles coming out next weekend.
Fortunately for Marvel, there are still lots of chances to rebound later this year. Thunderbolts* looks like a great crowd-pleaser to start the summer movie season, while The Fantastic Four: First Steps is getting a lot of attention. Hopefully, Brave New World will be a blip on the franchise’s otherwise very prosperous 2025.