Marvel’s Captain America: Brave New World stayed atop the domestic box office in its second outing with $28.3 million despite slipping a concerning 68 percent.
It’s certainly not the worst drop — some Marvel pics have collapsed after fallen 70 percent or more — and the pic still has time before another event pic to make up ground. On the glass-half-full side, the movie continues to attract an ethnically diverse audience and plenty of families (the movie is a huge win among boys). On the glass-half-empty side, it may not be able to recover fully from getting slapped with a B- CinemaScore, the worst grade in the history of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. (Marvel insiders note that Brave New World was made during a time when the iconic studio was stretched too thin.)
Last weekend, Brave New World came in ahead of expectations when opening to $100 million over the long Valentine’s Day/Presidents Day weekend in North America, including $88.4 million for the three days.
Globally, it started off with $192.4 million after launching to $92.4 million internationally. This weekend, the superhero pic earned another $35.3 million overseas for a globally tally of $289.4 million.
It’s back to the basics when it comes to the new movie, which sees Anthony Mackie‘s Sam Wilson take up the mantle of Captain America, the hero previously played by Chris Evans. Costing around $180 million to produce before marketing, the movie stays away from sci-fi elements and the multiverse and has been described by Marvel boss Kevin Feige as a “relatively grounded action film,” akin to Captain America: The Winter Soldier, the 2014 film that starred Evans and introduced Mackie to the MCU (put another way, no multiverse).
Directed by Julius Onah, Brave New World also stars Harrison Ford as newly elected U.S. President Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross, who wants to bring Captain America aboard in an official military position. But before Wilson can make a decision, he uncovers a nefarious global plot that includes facing off with Ross when the president unexpectedly transforms into the Red Hulk. Danny Ramirez also stars, portraying Joaquin Torres/Falcon, alongside Liv Tyler, Tim Blake Nelson and Rosa Salazar.
Coming in No. 2 with a dazzling $14.2 million was Osgood Perkins‘ The Monkey, the intensely graphic horror pic about a pair of twins and their childhood toy. The $10 million movie is loosely based on a short story by Stephen King.
The R-rated pic marks the second-best opening in the history of special distributor Neon, home of the Oscar-winning Parasite and this year’s awards front-runner Anora, which collected more trophies this weekend when walking away with top honors at the Independent Spirit Awards.
The Monkey is Perkins’ follow-up to Longlegs, the Neon horror hit that soared to a $22.4 million debut.
“This is a phenomenal debut for The Monkey. Masters of horror Osgood Perkins, James Wan and Stephen King crafted a shocking thrill ride that has subverted the horror genre and created a raucous good time for audiences across the country,” said Neon distribution chief Elissa Federoff.
King helped promote the movie and definitely made it clear it is unlike any of his other adaptations, and went so far as to call in “batshit insane.”
The Monkey also marked the top horror opening of 2025. And like may horror titles, it earned a C+.
Paddington in Peru 3 came in No. 3 with $6.5 million, followed by Dog Man with $5.9 million and Chinese animation sensation Ne Zha 2 with $3 million. The latter has become the top-grossing animated film of all time at the global box office with more than $1.7 billion in ticket sales.
More to come.
English (US) ·