“Captain America: Brave New World” remains No. 1 in its second week despite a steep 68% drop in sales.
NEW YORK — “Captain America: Brave New World” soared on opening weekend, but crash-landed in its second go-around with audiences.
The film “Brave New World,” the latest signal that the Marvel juggernaut is not as sturdy as it once was, retained its top spot at the box office for a second week with $28.2 million in ticket sales, according to studio estimates released on Sunday. Despite opening with $100 million over four days and $88 million over three days, the movie experienced a significant 68% decline in its second weekend.
It is common for blockbusters to see sharp declines in their second weekends, though only two previous Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) films have experienced such rapid drops: 2023’s “The Marvels,” which plummeted by 78%, and 2023’s “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania,” which saw a 70% decrease.
Critics have panned the installment of “Captain America” led by Anthony Mackie, with audiences also expressing disappointment through a “B-” CinemaScore. Fans were looking to “Brave New World” to restore the Marvel franchise to its former glory, but it has been mostly perceived as another illustration of a brand that had once seemed infallible struggling to regain its previous sense of invulnerability before “Avengers: Endgame.”
Still, “Brave New World” has quickly grossed $289.4 million worldwide, with international sales nearly reaching $150 million. And with few big-budget offerings arriving in theaters in the coming weeks, it will have scant competition through much of March.
The biggest new release of the weekend was Oz Perkins’ “The Monkey,” the director’s follow-up to his 2024 horror hit, “Longlegs.” Adapted from a Stephen King short story, “The Monkey” opened with $14.2 million for Neon, the second-best debut for the indie distributor. The best? “Longlegs,” which launched with $22.4 million.
Neon had much to celebrate over the weekend. Its top awards contender, “Anora,” by Sean Baker, continues to gather momentum into next Sunday’s Academy Awards. The best-picture favorite added wins at the Independent Spirit Awards on Saturday.
Perkins, Neon and Blumhouse, which partnered in the release of “The Monkey,” have found a productive low-budget collaboration, with more on the way. Even if “The Monkey” doesn’t reach the heights of “Longlegs” ($126.9 million globally), Perkins and Neon return with “Keeper” this October.
“The Monkey,” starring Tatiana Maslany and Theo James, revolves around an old monkey toy found in an attic. Reviews have been good (77% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes), though audiences were less impressed, giving it a C+ CinemaScore. Horror films, though, typically grade low.
As it did with “Longlegs,” Neon leaned into cryptic promotion for “The Monkey,” along with some macabre marketing. A funeral premiere was held Los Angeles’ Immanuel Presbyterian Church, and fan screenings took place at Hollywood Cemetery. The film, produced by James Wan, cost $10 million to make.
Lionsgate’s “The Unbreakable Boy” opened with a paltry $2.5 million in 1,687 theaters. The Christian-themed Jon Gunn-directed film starring Zachary Levi and Meghann Fahy, is about parents who learn their son is autistic and has brittle bone disease.
“Paddington in Peru,” the third installment of the marmalade-mad bear, fell to third place in its second weekend. It grossed $6.5 million in 3,890 locations, bringing its two-week total to $25.2 million. “Paddington in Peru” has been most popular overseas, where it’s collected $125 million thus far.
“Ne Zha 2,” the animated Chinese juggernaut, took in $3.1 million from 800 theaters in its second weekend. In China, the sequel has grossed $1.7 billion this month, setting numerous box-office records. Those totals put “Ne Zha 2” past “Inside Out 2” ($1.66 billion) as the highest grossing animated film ever.
With final domestic figures releasing Monday, this list factors in the estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore.
- “Captain America: Brave New World,” $28.2 million.
- “The Monkey,” $14.2 million.
- “Paddington in Peru,” $6.5 million.
- “Dog Man,” $5.9 million.
- “Ne Zha 2,” $3.1 million.
- “Heart Eyes,” $2.9 million.
- “Mufasa: The Lion King,” $2.5 million.
- “The Unbreakable Boy,” $2.5 million.
- “Chhaava,” $1.5 million.
- “One of Them Days,” $1.4 million.
