After a delay in production due to strikes, multiple reshoots, and changed release dates, it is finally almost time for the world to meet the newestCaptain Americaon the big screen in theaters all around the globe. The Anthony Mackie-led Captain America: Brave New World film from Marvel Studios will be the Valentine of many this Friday, even if the early reviews from critics look less than stellar.
Brave New World Primed for Big Debut Weekend at the Global Box Office
Captain America: Brave New World is aiming to make up all $180 million from its production budget this weekend, asDeadline reportsthe latest Marvel big-screen project to end the weekend with $190 million from the global box office. This figure includes a domestic total of around $94 million across the four-day weekend for many moviegoers in the United States.
When it comes to big-time titles like Captain America, release dates are never by accident. In a similar vein to the success we saw from the thirdSonic the Hedgehogmovie released during Christmas break, Marvel looks to capitalize on the President’s Weekend crowd with a majority of Americans gaining an extra day off due to the holiday.
Even for the child demographic, a quarter of K-12 schools across the nation will be out of school on Monday, likely further boosting the number of people who can head to movie theaters across these four days.
Add in the level of hype the first post-Chris Evans Captain America movie brings alongside Marvel movie debuts for A-list actors like Harrison Ford, and you’ve got quite the storm for a successful box office debut for Captain America: Brave New World. Marvel aims to make their golden goose the “dude” demographic, hoping many boys, adolescents, and young adult males show out to see the film in theaters.
Critics Were Not Impressed by Marvel’s Latest Blockbuster
Now it is important to remember that selling a ton of movie theater tickets on opening weekend does not correlate directly to success for a movie of this magnitude.
A film as big as this needs to find solid consistent ground outside of opening weekend to make Disney and Marvel some serious dough. One way a lot of blockbusters gain extra traction for that goal is movie critics reviews boosting the hype. Unfortunately for Captain America: Brave New World, critics so far are not on their side.
Currently, Captain America: Brave New World holds a middling 52% critics score onRotten Tomatoes, with critics somewhat split on the film. Manynegative reviewspoint to the overall quality being much lower than expected for a nearly $200-million budget, along with bland character development. Others feel this is a step in the right direction for Marvel after years of struggling to capture consistency in their movies as they had during the golden years.
Even then, more positive reviews feel that a lot was left on the table by Marvel, sensing this film could’ve been much better than the final product.
The critics' opinions on films do not always reflect the overall sentiment of the public. There are tons of examples of movies receiving rough early reviews only to be adored by moviegoers post-release.
It is the reason the Popcornmeter was invented, to reflect the view of the masses compared to the view of the critics. Regardless of how divided early reviewers are, it’ll likely not tank box office debut numbers a ton. Many people will want to judge Captain America: Brave New World for themselves even after reading lukewarm reviews.
All people can do now is decide if spending a holiday weekend meeting the new Captain America is worth it, even after cloudy reviews from critics. Captain America: Brave New World premieres in theaters all across the globe this Valentine’s Day, Friday, February 14th.
Captain America: Brave New World’s Opening Weekend Box Office Projection
Captain America: Brave New World ticket sales have it projected to make a surprising number.
