After a full month in theaters, Captain America: Brave New World has officially crossed $388 million globally at the box office, with $185 million of that coming from domestic ticket sales. While some media outlets have rushed to frame this milestone as a triumph, especially as the film edged past the box office totals of Ant-Man, Thor, and Black Widow, the reality tells a very different story.
Captain America: Brave New World has surpassed Black Widow at the box office, becoming the 31st highest-grossing film in the #MCU.#CaptainAmericaBraveNewWorld #Marvel #MCUBoxOffice #MovieNews
— Marvel Updates (@Updates4Marvel) March 16, 2025
Disney Marvel suffered an incredibly awkward defeat, and let me share the reasons behind it…
Media Scrambling for a Win
Headlines are now trumpeting that Brave New World has outgrossed those three films, but such comparisons leave out crucial context.
Let’s break it down:
Ant-Man grossed $180 million domestically in 2015. However, when it was released, the average movie ticket price was $8.43. In 2025, that number has climbed to $11.31. Factor in the growth of premium formats like IMAX, Dolby Cinema, and 4DX—which sell tickets at even higher prices—and it becomes clear that Ant-Man sold significantly more tickets despite its lower dollar total.
Thor, likewise, earned $181 million domestically. When Thor hit theaters, ticket prices were even lower, averaging $7.93. Again, adjusted for inflation and current ticket prices, more people went to see Thor than are showing up for Brave New World today, despite the MCU being far less established at that time and Chris Hemsworth being relatively unknown.
Black Widow pulled in $183 million at the domestic box office during the height of the global health crisis in 2021. Crucially, Disney also released the film on Disney+ with a premium access fee, which earned an additional $60 million on opening weekend alone—a number not reflected in its box office total. When you factor in that extra revenue, Captain America hasn’t come close to matching Black Widow’s real box office earnings.
It should be noted that this was a movie that came out at a time in which people were advised not to leave their houses…
The Reality: A Franchise in Decline
It’s taken an entire month and a near-empty competition schedule for Brave New World to crawl past films that are either over a decade old, released during far more challenging circumstances, or operating without the benefit of Marvel’s modern brand recognition.
Worse still, the film has slipped further down the box office charts week after week. Last weekend, Brave New World grossed a meager $5 million domestically, falling behind Mickey 17, Novocaine, and Black Bag. Despite holding the #1 spot for three weekends, this week marks yet another sign that its momentum has all but dried up.
Ballooning Costs and Troubled Production
While the media continues to report that Brave New World cost $180 million to produce, numerous industry insiders have suggested otherwise. With extensive reshoots, costly rewrites, and the addition of Giancarlo Esposito’s character late in the production, estimates peg the true production budget closer to $350–$375 million. That figure doesn’t include marketing costs, which could push the total spend well north of $400 million.
At $388 million globally, the film is nowhere near profitability. A movie of this size likely requires $800–$900 million to break even, once accounting for marketing expenses, distribution fees, and theater cuts.
Negative Reception and Ongoing Struggles
It also doesn’t help that Brave New World has struggled critically. It currently holds the second-lowest critic score in MCU history and has faced widespread backlash from audiences and fans. The Anthony Mackie-led film has not replicated the success of its Captain America predecessors, falling far short of The Winter Soldier or Civil War, both of which soared past $700 million globally with far stronger openings.
The fact that it took Brave New World an entire month to barely edge out films like Thor, Ant-Man, and Black Widow—each of which had their own obstacles—is a stark reminder of just how much the MCU has faltered in recent years. Media outlets may be eager to spin this as a win, but the numbers don’t lie. This is a clear indication of audience fatigue, poor word-of-mouth, and a product weighed down by troubled production and declining trust in the Marvel brand.
Read More
- Invincible Season 4: What We Know About Release Date and Plot Speculation!
- MNT PREDICTION. MNT cryptocurrency
- KAS PREDICTION. KAS cryptocurrency
- EUR JPY PREDICTION
- FIL PREDICTION. FIL cryptocurrency
- XDC PREDICTION. XDC cryptocurrency
- ICP PREDICTION. ICP cryptocurrency
- USD MXN PREDICTION
- IMX PREDICTION. IMX cryptocurrency
- USD RUB PREDICTION
2025-03-17 20:33