US Box Office: Captain America Brave New World hits LOWEST 2nd Thursday for the franchise; Domestic run now tracking below expectations

Despite minimal competition, Captain America: Brave New World saw a steep 53.8% drop on its second Thursday, marking the lowest for the franchise and casting doubts on its final domestic total.

Written by Seema Sinha , Entertainment Journalist

Published on Mar 01, 2025 | 04:01 PM IST | 8.6K

Picture Courtesy: Disney

Captain America: Brave New World completed its second full week at the U.S. box office, earning USD 1.5 million on Thursday, marking the lowest second Thursday ever for a Captain America film. The film saw a 53.8% drop from the previous Thursday, faring worse than The First Avenger’s USD 2.7 million (-50%), The Winter Soldier’s USD 4.3 million (-5.8%), and Civil War’s USD 3.7 million (-54.3%).

Compared to other Presidents' Day weekend releases, Brave New World’s numbers were on par with Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania’s USD 1.5 million (-61.4%) but lagged behind Fifty Shades of Grey’s USD 1.8 million (-57.7%), Deadpool’s USD 3.9 million (-52%), and Black Panther’s USD 6.6 million (-53.6%). With a domestic total of USD 148.7 million so far, the film is now expected to finish its U.S. run between USD 195 million and USD 215 million, depending on how well it holds in the coming weeks.

One factor working in the film’s favor is the lack of direct competition for nearly a month, which might aid it in maintaining better holds compared to Quantumania. Despite the weaker-than-expected numbers, Marvel’s latest installment in the Captain America franchise still benefits from audiences’ loyalty to the MCU brand.

Brave New World, for those unversed, marks Anthony Mackie’s Sam Wilson taking on the mantle of the titular superhero from Chris Evans’ Steve Rogers. The film also stars Harrison Ford as President Thaddeus Ross, replacing the late William Hurt, alongside Tim Blake Nelson, Liv Tyler, and Shira Haas in key roles.

The offering follows Wilson as he navigates the responsibilities of being the new Captain America while facing a new global threat. With its political thriller elements, the film attempts to capture the intensity of The Winter Soldier while introducing fresh challenges for the next MCU chapter. The attempt, however, has been denounced by audiences, citing that it overshadows the trademark Marvel superhero action-heavy narrative, which has worked wonderfully well for the studio in the past.

As the film moves into its third weekend, its performance will determine whether it can inch closer to the higher end of its forecasted range or settle for a lower score.

Notably, Brave New World was made on a hefty USD 180 million budget, minus marketing costs, which makes it necessary to post a global haul in the range of USD 380 million to 420 million to break even. The film’s current worldwide total stands at USD 297 million.