“Captain America: Brave New World” soared at the box office in its opening weekend but saw a dramatic drop in its second outing, signaling potential struggles for the Marvel franchise. Despite retaining the No. 1 spot in its second week, the film grossed $28.2 million, marking a steep 68% decline from its $100 million four-day opening. While major blockbusters often experience a decline in their second weekends, the drop is notably sharp for the latest Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) entry, only surpassed by “The Marvels” (2023) with a 78% plunge and “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” (2023), which fell 70%.
The film, starring Anthony Mackie as the titular character, received a lukewarm reception from both critics and audiences. With a “B-” CinemaScore and negative reviews, “Brave New World” was expected to revitalize the MCU, but it instead highlighted the ongoing challenges the franchise faces in regaining its former dominance, particularly after the success of Avengers: Endgame.
Despite the setbacks, “Brave New World” has accumulated $289.4 million globally, with nearly $150 million from international markets. It faces limited competition in the coming weeks, as few big-budget films are expected to release in March, giving it a chance to recover domestically.
Meanwhile, the weekend’s biggest new release, The Monkey, directed by Oz Perkins, delivered a promising start with $14.2 million. Based on a Stephen King short story, the film marks a solid follow-up to Perkins’ 2024 horror hit Longlegs. Neon, the indie distributor behind the film, is celebrating another strong entry into the market, with the film becoming the second-highest debut for the studio. The film’s success is aided by positive reviews (77% on Rotten Tomatoes) and a strong partnership with Blumhouse. However, the audience response has been more mixed, with a C+ CinemaScore.
In addition to The Monkey, Neon continues to build momentum with its awards contender Anora, which picked up accolades at the Independent Spirit Awards and is positioned as a frontrunner for the upcoming Academy Awards.
Other notable releases included Lionsgate’s The Unbreakable Boy, which struggled at the box office with just $2.5 million in its opening weekend, and Paddington in Peru, which dropped to third place with $6.5 million. The film, part of the beloved franchise, has been more successful internationally, where it has grossed $125 million.
Ne Zha 2, an animated Chinese film, continues to break records in its home country, grossing $1.7 billion in China this month alone and surpassing Inside Out 2 to become the highest-grossing animated film ever.
The weekend’s top 10 films at the domestic box office, based on estimated sales from Friday to Sunday, are as follows:
- Captain America: Brave New World – $28.2 million
- The Monkey – $14.2 million
- Paddington in Peru – $6.5 million
- Dog Man – $5.9 million
- Ne Zha 2 – $3.1 million
- Heart Eyes – $2.9 million
- Mufasa: The Lion King – $2.5 million
- The Unbreakable Boy – $2.5 million
- Chhaava – $1.5 million
- One of Them Days – $1.4 million
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