In a shocking and humiliating upset for Disney and Marvel Studios, Captain America: Brave New World was outpaced at the UK and Ireland box office by Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy, a romantic comedy that made history with its record-breaking debut. Bridget Jones is actually a Peacock original movie with no U.S. theatrical run, which might be good news for everyone over at Marvel and Disney!
A screenshot from the trailer to Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy – YouTube, Peacock
While Brave New World was expected to dominate internationally, the latest Bridget Jones sequel took in an impressive £12.3 million ($15.5 million) over its four-day opening weekend, securing the biggest debut of the year and the highest-grossing romantic comedy opening ever in the region.
At the British #BoxOffice, Brits had more urgent priorities than a new MCU entry: attend #BridgetJones’s return!#CaptainAmericaBraveNewWorld debuted at #2 in the UK grossing $2.9M on FRI Opening Day, while #BridgetJonesMadAboutTheBoy, which debuted on THU, added franchise record… pic.twitter.com/OtHnE3Awrv
— Luiz Fernando (@Luiz_Fernando_J) February 15, 2025
Meanwhile, Brave New World settled for second place, pulling in just $8 million in its UK opening—a disappointing result for Marvel’s latest tentpole film and a clear signal that the brand’s global appeal may be waning.
A Major Blow to Marvel’s Global Dominance
Marvel Studios has long enjoyed near-universal dominance at the box office, with its superhero films often sweeping the top spot in international markets. The fact that Brave New World, a major MCU release featuring one of its most iconic characters, was beaten by a rom-com speaks volumes about the current state of the franchise and the growing superhero fatigue among audiences.
Captain America/Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) in Marvel Studios’ CAPTAIN AMERICA: BRAVE NEW WORLD, exclusively on Disney+. Photo courtesy of Marvel Studios. © 2024 MARVEL.
While the film has performed slightly above expectations in the domestic market, earning $100 million over its extended five-day opening weekend, it still has a long road to go before it reaches profitability.
These UK results highlight Marvel’s struggle to maintain its global stronghold with Post-Endgame offerings.
The Budget Controversy and Financial Challenges
One of the most troubling aspects of this Captain America, Bridget Jones box office defeat is the film’s bloated budget. While official reports peg Brave New World’s production budget at $180 million, insiders suggest the true cost figure is closer to $350 million when marketing and extensive reshoot costs are factored in.
Harrison Ford as the Red Hulk in Captain America: Brave New World – YouTube, Marvel Entertainment
According to Deadline, the film will need to reach at least $425 million just to break even, though other sources suggest the break-even point could be closer to $900 million once all expenses are considered. With a second place opening in a major international market like the UK, the path to profitability just became even steeper.
Production Troubles Continue to Haunt the Film
The film’s rocky road to release has been well-documented. Brave New World underwent significant reshoots after disastrous test screenings, which reportedly led to a 22-day reshoot period that included major plot changes and the addition of a new villain, played by Giancarlo Esposito.
Director Julius Onah has attempted to downplay the extent of the reshoots, telling the Phase Zero podcast:
“We did one period of additional photography, which is the same on all of these movies. There are so many variables, and [additional photography] becomes essential to fine-tuning and coming up with a thing that we know audiences will love.”
Captain America/Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) in Marvel Studios’ CAPTAIN AMERICA: BRAVE NEW WORLD, exclusively on Disney+. Photo courtesy of Marvel Studios. © 2024 MARVEL.
However, insiders from the production have described the process as chaotic and costly, with entire sequences being rewritten and re-filmed at the last minute.
Negative Reviews and Audience Reception
Adding to the film’s woes, Brave New World currently holds a B- CinemaScore, the lowest in MCU history. While some box office analysts believe the film could avoid a disastrous second-week drop,its tepid reception and the UK box office defeat suggest otherwise.
Onah addressed the negative reviews, stating, “You make the best movie you can, you put it out there, and you let audiences react to it.”
Unfortunately for Marvel and Disney, audiences seem to be reacting with indifference. This defeat in the UK only highlights how far the MCU has fallen from its once-dominant position.
Anthony Mackie as Sam Wilson/Captain America in Marvel Studios’ CAPTAIN AMERICA: BRAVE NEW WORLD. Photo courtesy of Marvel Studios. © 2024 MARVEL.
The UK box office upset is more than just a bad headline—it’s a sign that Marvel’s global brand is weakening. Beaten out by Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy, a romantic comedy sequel with a fraction of Brave New World’s bloated budget, Marvel now faces the reality that its films are no longer guaranteed hits overseas.
With ballooning budgets, audience fatigue, and a growing list of flops (Eternals, The Marvels, and Quantumania), Marvel Studios may need to rethink its strategy moving forward. If Brave New World continues to struggle internationally and fails to hit its break-even point, it could serve as yet another wake-up call that the MCU’s glory days are behind it.
For now, the loss to Bridget Jones in the UK stands as a symbolic and very public defeat—one that Marvel and Disney will find hard to spin as anything but an embarrassing misstep.
Are you surprised that Captain America was defeated by Bridget Jones? Sound off in the comments below and let us know!
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I know absolutely nothing about Bridget Jones but I’d bet even money that she’s not a terrorist sympathizer. That makes her much easier to root for, because Sam Wilson is.
How did this septic movie make any money here? Why would any non self-loathing individual pay to actually watch this slop? What’s the common denominator that floats in n this site quite often? “Why would you give money to people what hate you?” Or some variation on that theme.
The film is being beaten by a smaller, niche franchise in terms of earnings in the UK. Its domestic earnings in the US, adjusted for inflation, put it down there with The Marvels in terms of how poorly it’s being received. The brand has lost its appeal, period.
I’m still disgusted that dummy men took their kids to this farce to the tune of $100 mil. Phucking country of lemmings.
He’s black
The first good Marvel movie starred a black guy. That in and of itself is not the issue.
Twenty years ago I swore that Rene Zellweger and the musician Jewel were the same person. Much like Clark Kent and Superman, you never saw the two in the same room.
Although, upon closer inspection, why would they ever be in the same room?
“While Brave New World was expected to dominate internationally”
Uhhh, why? The rest of the world is probably sick of the MCU by now.
You’re looking at it with logic and rationality. The woke do not. It’s that simple.
Until they make movies for white males, instead of feminists of colour, Disney’s movies will continue to flop. That is the reality: it is predominantly men, especially white men who read the comics (though not the woke comics), who watch this genre of movies.
It’s not “wacist” to say what is common sense, because, in the same way, Bollywood movies are made for Indians, and not for white men. Romantic comedies are made for women. And so on. That is what diversity should be about. Movies made for different audiences, not all movies being the same, trying to appeal to everyone (and flopping).
I didn’t come up with this but it’s wise.
If you made a Barbie movie about Ken, women wouldn’t be interested because it’s about Ken, and men wouldn’t be interested because it’s a Barbie movie.
It’s an easy way to highlight the issue.
Precisely, yes. And, Disney are making boys’ movies into girls’ movies, and wondering why the boys don’t cough up for the (expensive) tickets, as they assumed.
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