After a few years and a handover of the shield, Captain America is back.
Marvel Studios’ latest adventure and the fourth solo Cap movie, “Captain America: Brave New World,” is opening in theaters this weekend and has made $12 million in Thursday previews at the box office.
The four-quel is on track to make $80 million to $85 million over the traditional weekend and $90 million to $95 million with the extra-long President’s Day frame. Internationally, it’s expected to make $110 million, but it’ll go up ahead China’s “Ne Zha 2,” which has made more than $1 billion and counting, and “Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy,” which is releasing on Peacock in the U.S. and theatrically overseas. “Brave New World” cost more than $180 million to produce, plus marketing costs.
With the chilly box office so far this year, “Brave New World” will easily become the box office’s top opening of the year so far. Compared to the other films in the star-spangled series, “Brave New World” should debut higher than 2011’s “Captain America: The First Avengers” ($65 million opening weekend), close to 2014’s “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” ($95 million opening) but far below 2016’s colossal “Captain America: Civil War” ($179 million opening).
In the new movie, Anthony Mackie’s Sam Wilson makes his big screen debut as the new Cap after first taking up the shield in the Disney+ series “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.” He had previously appeared in the “Captain America” and “Avengers” movies as the high-flying Falcon, but now is officially the new Cap after Chris Evans’ Steve Rogers retired in “Avengers: Endgame.”
In “Brave New World,” Cap finds himself in the center of international turmoil and super-powered commotion thanks to Harrison Ford’s President Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross, who also transforms into the gamma-irradiated Red Hulk. The cast also includes Danny Ramirez, Shira Haas, Carl Lumbly, Tim Blake Nelson, Giancarlo Esposito and more.
Also opening domestically this weekend is “Paddington in Peru,” the third film in the adorable bear franchise. It made $600,000 in Thursday previews and is on track for $15 million to $17 million over the holiday weekend. It’s already brought in $103 million internationally.