Brave New World Takes a Plunge

The Monkey debuts in second place for weekend
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Feb 23, 2025 2:40 PM CST
Brave New World Takes a Plunge
This image released by Disney shows Takehiro Hira, from left, Anthony Mackie, and Harrison Ford in a scene from Marvel Studios' "Captain America: Brave New World."   (Marvel Studios-Disney via AP)

Captain America: Brave New World soared on opening weekend but crash-landed in its second go-around with audiences. The film remained No. 1 at the box office with $28.2 million in ticket sales, according to studio estimates Sunday. But after a debut of $100 million over four days and $88 million over three days, that meant a steep drop of 68%. The slide is the latest sign that the Marvel machine isn't quite what it used to be, the AP reports. While blockbusters often drop significantly in their second weekends, only two previous MCU titles fell off so fast: 2023's The Marvels, which plunged 78%, and 2023's Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, which dropped 70%.

The Anthony Mackie-led Captain America installment has been slammed by critics, and audiences have graded it poorly, with a "B-" CinemaScore. The film, which fans had hoped would right the Marvel ship, has been largely met as another example of a once impenetrable brand struggling to recapture its pre-Avengers: Endgame invincibility. Still, Brave New World has grossed $289.4 million worldwide, with international sales reaching nearly $150 million. And with few big-budget offerings arriving in theaters in the coming weeks, it will have scant competition through much of March. The biggest release of the weekend was Oz Perkins' The Monkey, the director's follow-up to his 2024 horror hit, Longlegs. It was adapted from a Stephen King short story. Reviews have been good (77% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes), though audiences gave it a C+ CinemaScore.

Below are estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at US and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore. Final domestic figures will be released Tuesday.

  1. Captain America: Brave New World, $28.2 million.
  2. The Monkey, $14.2 million.
  3. Paddington in Peru, $6.5 million.
  4. Dog Man, $5.9 million.
  5. Ne Zha 2, $3.1 million.
  6. Heart Eyes, $2.9 million.
  7. Mufasa: The Lion King, $2.5 million.
  8. The Unbreakable Boy, $2.5 million.
  9. Chhaava, $1.5 million.
  10. One of Them Days, $1.4 million.
(More box office stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X