“Captain America: Brave New World” has made a strong splash in the North American box office, raking in $88.5 million over the weekend. This makes it the top opener of 2025, with Disney optimistic it will cross the $100 million mark domestically by the end of the Presidents’ Day holiday.
This film marks a key moment for the Captain America series, introducing Anthony Mackie as the new Cap, stepping into a role once held by Chris Evans. Co-starring is Harrison Ford, who plays the U.S. President turned Red Hulk. The film debuted in over 4,100 theaters across the U.S. and Canada.
Despite its success, critics have not been kind. Currently, “Brave New World” holds a 51% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. It’s not the lowest in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but it’s definitely not shining either. Mark Kennedy from The Associated Press described the film as “a highly processed, empty calorie, regret-later candy of a movie.” However, audience scores tell a different story, with a verified score of 80% and a CinemaScore of B-. Interestingly, men made up 63% of the audience over the weekend.
The bar for the biggest opening this year wasn’t very high. “Dog Man” previously held the title with $36 million. “Brave New World’s” performance falls right in the middle compared to other MCU films and comes with a lower production cost of $180 million, not counting marketing expenses.
This film is the first of three major Marvel releases planned for 2025, joining “Thunderbolts” in May and “The Fantastic Four: First Steps” in July.
Coming in second place at the box office was “Paddington in Peru,” which earned about $13 million. This is the third film in the beloved series, having already garnered $104 million internationally since its UK release in November 2024. Directed by Dougal Wilson, this installment features Emily Mortimer as Mrs. Brown and Ben Whishaw returning as the voice of Paddington.
Sony’s horror film “Heart Eyes” secured third place with $10 million, showing a 20% increase from its debut the previous weekend. “Dog Man” followed closely behind with $9.7 million.
This weekend also saw the release of a new “Bridget Jones” movie, subtitled “Mad About the Boy.” Instead of hitting theaters in the U.S., it went directly to Universal’s streaming service, Peacock. In the U.K. and Ireland, it performed well, grossing around $14.9 million.
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Movies, Chris Evans, Anthony Mackie, Julius Onah, Ben Whishaw, Harrison Ford, General news, CA State Wire, Sally Hawkins, Sam Wilson, Emily Mortimer, Mark Kennedy, United Kingdom, Business, U.S. news, Paul King, Dougal Wilson, North America, Entertainment, U.S. News
