Captain America: Brave New World has managed to hold onto the #1 spot at the box office for a third weekend in a row, but there’s little to celebrate. The film brought in just $15 million domestically—a staggering 85% drop from its opening weekend and a 46% decline from its second weekend, making its top of the chart status more an indictment on the current state of Hollywood that an accolade for the troubled movie.
Harrison Ford as the Red Hulk in Captain America: Brave New World – YouTube, Marvel Entertainment
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These numbers paint a bleak picture for the latest Marvel Studios release, which has been struggling to maintain momentum ever since its debut. Despite remaining unchallenged by any major blockbuster competition, Brave New World continues to tumble, signaling that audiences simply aren’t turning up in the numbers Marvel once commanded.
Disappointing Numbers and an Uphill Battle to Break Even
The film’s total domestic haul now stands at $163.7 million, a shockingly low number for what was once one of the MCU’s most bankable franchises. Overseas, it has earned $180 million, bringing its worldwide total to $341.8 million.
For a standard blockbuster, these numbers might be respectable, but for a Captain America movie—especially one that was supposed to establish Anthony Mackie as the new face of the franchise—this is an undeniable failure. Even Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, which was considered a financial disaster for Marvel, managed to surpass $470 million worldwide.
Captain America/Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) in Marvel Studios’ CAPTAIN AMERICA: BRAVE NEW WORLD, exclusively on Disney+. Photo courtesy of Marvel Studios. © 2024 MARVEL.
Most concerningly, Brave New World is still well short of the $400 million mark, a number that certain media outlets have misleadingly labeled as its break-even point. However, that figure is based on the studio’s reported production budget of $180 million—a number that industry insiders have repeatedly disputed.
With multiple rounds of costly reshoots factored in, Brave New World is believed to have cost between $350 million and $375 million to produce, meaning the film would need closer to $900 million globally just to break even. At its current trajectory, the film will struggle to even hit half that amount.
More Trouble Ahead for Marvel Studios
With Brave New World falling off a cliff, Marvel is already shifting focus to its next two films: Thunderbolts and The Fantastic Four: First Steps, both slated for summer releases. The studio is likely hoping these projects can inject new life into the MCU, but given the franchise’s recent struggles, there’s no guarantee audiences will return in force.
(L-R): Iman Vellani as Ms. Marvel/Kamala Khan, Brie Larson as Captain Marvel/Carol Danvers, and Teyonah Parris as Captain Monica Rambeau in Marvel Studios’ THE MARVELS. Photo courtesy of Marvel Studios. © 2023 MARVEL
Marvel’s recent box office disappointments—including Eternals, The Marvels, and Quantumania—have all suffered from similar audience fatigue and lukewarm reception, with each film struggling to justify ballooning costs. If Brave New World’s numbers are any indication, the studio may be looking at yet another difficult year ahead.
A Rocky Production Leads to a Rocky Box Office Performance
The ongoing box office slump is just the latest chapter in Brave New World’s troubled history. The film underwent extensive reshoots after disastrous test screenings, with sources revealing that 22 days of additional filming were needed to fix major issues with the story and action sequences. The late addition of Giancarlo Esposito’s villain and significant rewrites led to further delays, pushing the film’s release back by a full year.
The film’s title change from Captain America: New World Order to Brave New World was another sign of behind-the-scenes struggles. While Disney insisted the change was simply to reflect the film’s themes, reports suggested the move was to avoid backlash tied to political controversies associated with the original title.
Logo for CAPTAIN AMERICA: BRAVE NEW WORLD. © 2024 MARVEL.
Adding fuel to the fire, Anthony Mackie’s disastrous press tour didn’t help the film’s cause. His widely criticized comment that “Captain America shouldn’t represent America” alienated fans before the movie even hit theaters, forcing him to issue a half-hearted clarification.
What’s Next for Brave New World?
With its third-weekend numbers in, Brave New World is now firmly in damage control mode. The likelihood of it reaching the necessary box office total to turn a profit is slim, and with upcoming releases set to pull audiences away, its chances of recovering are rapidly diminishing.
Anthony Mackie as Sam Wilson/Captain America in Marvel Studios’ CAPTAIN AMERICA: BRAVE NEW WORLD. Photo courtesy of Marvel Studios. © 2024 MARVEL.
Marvel Studios and the Captain America films once had an untouchable box office streak, with audiences eagerly returning week after week for each new installment. But with Brave New World’s abysmal drops and lukewarm reception, it’s clear that the MCU’s once-unbreakable dominance is now a thing of the past.
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