‘Captain America: Brave New World’ to Sink in Week 2? UPDATE

Some conservatives cheered when Disney’s “Mufasa: The Lion King” opened weakly late last year.

The online Right unofficially declared war on Disney following the company’s woke makeover and attack on Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.

That $35 million haul suggested the Mouse House’s latest “live-action” adaptation would be a bust. The film had legs, though, muscling to a respectable $241 million stateside, plus another $446 million via international theaters.

That $688 million tally is a far cry from 2019’s “Aladdin” ($1 billion), but it beat 2023’s “Little Mermaid” update ($569 million).

The early financial snapshot proved incomplete.

It’s the second and subsequent weekends that often tell the full story. And, on that count, “Captain America: Brave New World” appears in trouble.

The Anthony Mackie-led sequel scored $88 million in its first three days of release, inching past the $100 million mark when the President’s Day holiday was factored in.

It’s both better than some suggested and hardly comparable to top-tier MCU offerings from the recent past. It also opened with little serious competition and no blockbusters standing in its way.

The same holds for this weekend, but Deadline suggests the film will drop precipitously in its second frame.

Marvel Studios’ Captain America: Brave New World will reign supreme in its second weekend with roughly a $30M+ take as it holds on to Imax and premium screens, but watch out for Neon‘s second Oz Perkins movie The Monkey.

That’s a disastrous hold for a movie that cost a reported $380 million.

That Perkins horror film shouldn’t steal from “Brave New World’s” audience. It’s an apples-to-oranges comparison, and there’s no other major film opening this weekend to steal Cap’s thunder.

“The Unbreakable Boy,” the Zachary Levi drama based on real events, similarly lacks the action heroics to challenge Cap and the Red Hulk.

Box Office Pro has a warmer prediction. The site says Cap could clear between $37-44 million.

“Brave New World” earned rough reviews from most critics, witness the film’s terrible 49 percent “Rotten” score. Audiences judged it more favorably (80 percent “fresh”), but that’s on the low side for MCU films. “The Marvels,” one of the franchise’s biggest duds, also snagged that same audience score.

“Brave New World” also landed a “B-” rating via CinemaScore, another warning sign.

The MCU isn’t the juggernaut it once was. The “Guardians of the Galaxy” franchise is in retirement. It’s unclear if Ryan Reynolds is game for a fourth “Deadpool” film. The “Avengers” saga has lost two of its key players – Robert Downey, Jr. and Chris Evans.

The franchise hoped Mackie’s Captain America character might breathe new life into the saga.

So far, that’s wishful thinking.

UPDATE: World of Reel reports the film’s box office figures could plummet this weekend.

On Thursday, the film only nabbed $3M which is way below what was predicted. We’re looking at one hell of an epic drop this weekend, definitely in the -70s, and a $26M-$28M 3-day tally.