Disney and Marvel’s superhero sequel CAPTAIN AMERICA: BRAVE NEW WORLD powered the Valentine’s Day / President’s Day holiday weekend to its highest box office total this year, with $88.5M in its first three days. Sony’s live-action animated family movie PADDINGTON IN PERU also contributed $13.0M in its opening.
The total box office for all films came in at $153.3M, which is almost double the $78.6M earned last year on this same weekend when Paramount’s BOB MARLEY: ONE LOVE earned $28.7M and Sony’s MADAME WEB sold $15.3M, both in their opening weekends. This is the sixth time in the seven weekends this year that the weekend box office has been higher than the matching weekend from 2024.
Also of note, this is the first time since 2020 that Valentine’s Day landed on a Friday. In that year, just before the pandemic, the total box office came in at a similar number, $156.M, led by the opening of Paramount’s SONIC THE HEDGEHOG with $58.0M.
CAPTAIN AMERICA: BRAVE NEW WORLD is the fourth movie in the series and the 35th in the Marvel Cinematic Universe which began 17 years ago with IRON MAN in 2008. BRAVE NEW WORLD is also the fifth movie in Phase Five of the MCU, which achieved its highest box office performance last summer with DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE.
This time, the team of Anthony and Joe Russo who directed the second and third Captain America movies stepped aside to make way for Nigerian-American filmmaker Julius Onah, best known for his work on THE CLOVERFIELD PARADISE from 2018 and LUCE from 2019.
Until BRAVE NEW WORLD, Chris Evans had played the role of Captain America (a.k.a. Steve Rogers) in all the MCU movies from 2011 through 2019, including the three features focused on Captain America (2011, 2014 and 2016) and supporting roles in the AVENGERS series (2012, 2015, 2018, 2019), the original ANT-MAN (2015) and SPIDER-MAN: HOMECOMING (2017).
However, at the end of AVENGERS: ENDGAME, the character of Steve Rogers travels back in time to return to the Infinity Stones and decides to remain in the past. In an emotional scene, Rogers hands Captain America’s iconic vibranium shield to Sam Wilson, as a sign for him and his alter ego The Falcon to take up the mantle of Captain America. While Sam is initially hesitant, Steve assures him that he is the right person for the role.
Sam is played by Anthony Mackie, who also appeared in the earlier Captain America movies and in the Disney+ hit series “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.” After the death of actor William Hurt in 2022, Harrison Ford has taken over Hurt’s role as Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross has become the President of the United States. This is the second time Ford has played the U.S. President, having appeared as President James Marshall in AIR FORCE ONE in 1997.
In BRAVE NEW WORLD, Sam Wilson struggles to establish himself as the new Captain America while facing political conspiracies and global threats. With the backdrop of a President prone to flying off into a rage and attempted assassination, Sam steps up to his leadership responsibility and redefines what it means to be Captain America.
Critics have been incredibly positive about the franchise so far, giving the first three Captain America films 80%, 90%, and 90% scores on Rotten Tomatoes. This time, however, the critics have come down with a mediocre 51% rating. Some have said that the narrative is overly complex, with multiple concurrent storylines that are hard to follow. The New York Post describes the plot as a “hodge-podge,” with elements that fail to come together.
There are concerns over the relative lack of character depth, particularly in the case of Sam Wilson as the new Captain America. Vulture points out that the film explores Sam’s self-doubt superficially, lacking the emotional depth that could have enriched the story. Collider argues that the visual effects are subpar, detracting from the overall experience. On a more positive note, Entertainment Weekly’s review commended Harrison Ford’s portrayal of President Thaddeus Ross, highlighting his performance as having depth and adding gravitas to the story.
That review notes that Ford’s compelling portrayal, especially during the transformation into Red Hulk, is a highlight of the movie. On the bright side, audiences seem to like the new movie, giving it an 80% score on Rotten Tomatoes. With a production budget of $180M, which is $70M less than the amount spent on the last movie CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR in 2016, BRAVE NEW WORLD will need to generate $450M in worldwide sales to turn a profit. Here is a summary of the box office history of the franchise.
CAPTAIN AMERICA BOX OFFICE HISTORY
- CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIRST AVENGER (7/22/2011) – Domestic Opening $65.1M (3,715 locations), Domestic Total $176.7M, Worldwide Total $370.6M, Budget $140M, RT Critics/Audience 80%/75%
- CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER (4/4/2014) – Domestic Opening $95.0M (3,938 locations), Domestic Total $259.8M, Worldwide Total $714.4M, Budget $170M, RT Critics/Audience 90%/92%
- CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR (5/6/2016) – Domestic Opening $179.1M (4,226 locations), Domestic Total $408.1M, Worldwide Total $1,153M, Budget $250M, RT Critics/Audience 90%/89%
- CAPTAIN AMERICA: BRAVE NEW WORLD (2/14/2025) – Domestic Opening $88.5M (4,105 locations), Budget $180M, RT Critics/Audience 51%/80%
The total domestic and worldwide box office increased with each release of the first three Captain America movies. However, this expanding success will end with BRAVE NEW WORLD, after its domestic opening of $88.5M puts it well behind the $179.1M earned by CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR and just behind the $95.0M opening of CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER.
A key to the series’ success has been bumper sales in international markets, with 62% of its $2.2B worldwide total coming from territories outside North America. Given the current geopolitical climate, it will be fascinating to watch if markets outside the U.S. are still receptive to a blatantly pro-American movie.
Sony’s animated family film PADDINGTON IN PERU finished in second place with an opening weekend of $13.0M, which was slightly above its predecessor PADDINGTON 2 which sold $11.0M in its first three days from January 12-14, 2018. This is the third feature based on the Paddington Bear books created by British author Michael Bond.
His first book A Bear Called Paddington was published on October 13, 1958, starting what has become a remarkable global success. Paddington books have sold over 35 million copies worldwide and translated into 40 languages. While the original book series includes 30 titles, various adaptations, and related works have expanded the count to 56 titles overall.
PADDINGTON IN PERU is directed by first-time director Dougal Wilson, who has taken over from Paul King who directed the first two movies. The predominately British cast includes Hugh Bonneville (DOWNTON ABBEY), Julie Waters (MAMMA MIA), and Jim Broadbent (BRIDGET JONES DIARY), all reprising their roles from the earlier movies. Emily Mortimer (RELIC) replaces Sally Hawkins in the role of Mary Brown.
Moving away from the London setting of the first two films, the plot of the new movie has Paddington returning to his home country Peru to visit his beloved Aunt Lucy, who is living at the Home for Retired Bears. With the Brown family in tow, a thrilling adventure ensues when a new mystery plunges them into an unexpected journey. The film takes on an action-adventure tone, with hints of INDIANA JONES, as Paddington embarks on a quest through the Amazon rainforest and Andes mountains of Peru.
Wilson attempts to create an action-oriented film without leaving behind the themes of family and togetherness that are the hallmarks of the books. By shifting to an exotic location and keeping most of the original cast, its production costs have soared to $90M, which is roughly equal to the combined budget of the first two films.
Critics loved the earlier movies, rating them 96% and 99% respectively on Rotten Tomatoes, and PADDINGTON IN PERU continues the streak with its 94% critics’ score. Peter Travers of ABC News praises the film as “an exuberant gift of family fun,” highlighting the humor and emotional warmth.
Screen Daily adds the film’s vibrant visuals and stunning South American locations to give a fresh and engaging backdrop to Paddington’s adventure. One negative comment comes from The New Yorker which notes that the film takes a “darker, more adventurous turn,” which may seem strained compared to the whimsical spirit of the earlier films. Here is the box office history of the Paddington franchise.
PADDINGTON BOX OFFICE HISTORY
- PADDINGTON (1/16/2015) – Domestic Opening $18.9M (3,303 locations), Domestic Total $76.3M, Worldwide Total $326.1M, Budget $55M, RT Critics/Audience 96%/80%
- PADDINGTON 2 (1/12/2018) – Domestic Opening $11.0M (3,702 locations), Domestic Total $40.9M, Worldwide Total $290.1M, Budget $40M, RT Critics/Audience 99%/89%
- PADDINGTON IN PERU (2/14/2025) – Domestic Opening $13.0M (3,890 locations), Budget $90M, RT Critics/Audience 94%/–%
The first two films produced a very solid 6.5 x 1 ratio of worldwide box office gross to production cost, doing particularly well in international markets which accounted for a massive 81% of the worldwide total. PADDINGTON IN PERU has already begun its run in foreign markets, with its UK introduction taking place on November 8, 2024. Since this debut, the film has earned $84.6M internationally, whereas each of the first two movies earned approximately $250M outside of North America.
While its Japanese release will come later in the spring, most of the international gross for PADDINGTON IN PERU has already come in. After only a slight improvement in the domestic opening numbers compared with PADDINGTON 2 and a significant decline in international sales, the new Paddington movie is at risk of losing money, especially because of its significantly higher production cost. It would need to earn a worldwide box office of approximately $225M to break even, and this may not be in the cards for the lovable bear.
Sony’s romantic comedy slasher film HEART EYES finished in third place, earning $10.0M in its second weekend, a 20% increase from its opening weekend. Its 10-day totals now stand at $22.5M domestic, with its release in international markets still pending. By opening last weekend, Sony gained the benefit of tapping into two weekends of Valentine’s Day-infused moviegoing. The film is also taking advantage of its positive reception, with an 82% Rotten Tomatoes rating from critics and an audience reaction of 78%.
While it is rare for any movie to have an increase in its box office in its second weekend, this is especially true for horror movies, which tend to produce a high percentage of their overall box office in their opening weekends. Having spent only $18M to create the movie, HEART EYES will wind up being very profitable, with a high likelihood that the “Heart Eyes Killer” will reappear on the big screen shortly.
After taking the top prize on the box office charts over the last two weeks, Universal’s DOG MAN fell to fourth place in its third weekend by fetching $9.7M, a decline of 30% from last weekend. After 17 days, the animated family film has earned $66.8M domestic and $84.5M worldwide. It is doing well, and outperforming its predecessor CAPTAIN UNDERPANTS: THE FIRST EPIC MOVIE. However, the gap between the two movies based on Dav Pilkey’s books is closing. Here is a comparison of these films after 17 days.
DOG MAN (2025) vs. CAPTAIN UNDERPANTS: THE FIRST EPIC MOVIE (2017)
- DOG MAN (1/31/2025) – Domestic Opening $36M, Domestic 2nd Weekend $13.7M (-62%), Domestic 3rd Weekend $9.7M (-30%), Domestic 17-day $66.8M, Budget $40M, RT Critics/Audience 80%/85%
- CAPTAIN UNDERPANTS (6/2/2017) – Domestic Opening $23.9M, Domestic 2nd Weekend $12.2M (-49%), , Domestic 3rd Weekend $7.2M (-41%), Domestic 17-day $57.8M, Domestic Total $73.9M, Worldwide Total $125.4M, Budget $40M, RT Critics/Audience 87%/63%
DOG MAN may eventually cross $100M in domestic gross, and after only $40M was spent on production, it is certain to be a profitable project.
As somewhat of a surprise, the fifth-place movie of the weekend was the Chinese animated film NE ZHA 2, distributed by Beijing-based distributor CMC Pictures. Its $7.2M opening weekend was a truly excellent performance, considering that it opened in only 660 theatres and had a generous per-theatre average of $10,926.
While it has flown under the radar in the U.S., the movie has already become an international blockbuster with a gross of $1.63B worldwide since it opened in China on January 29th, coinciding with the arrival of the Chinese New Year. Its director/screenwriter Jiaozi is the driving force behind the movie. Previously, he was also successful with the original NE ZHA.
The storyline is based loosely on a 16th-century Chinese novel ”Investiture of the Gods” by Fengshen Yanyi. The plot of NE ZHA 2 picks up where the original NE ZHA left off, with the souls of Ne Zha and Ao Bing persisting despite their physical forms having been destroyed. To restore them, Taiyi Zhenren tries to reconstruct their bodies using a mystical seven-colored lotus but faces significant challenges during this vulnerable period.
Having a production budget of $82.7M, this film is the most expensive Chinese-produced animated film of all time. It used the resources of more than 4,000 individuals from 138 animation studios to create the dramatic visuals of the movie. This is twice the number of people who worked on the original movie.
While critics’ reviews have been slow to come in, early comments from audiences are that its visuals are breathtaking. Rotten Tomatoes has noted a 99% audience score, with one moviegoer saying that is the best-animated film they have ever seen and others proclaiming that the movie ticket was “worth every penny” paid. We expect NE ZHA 2 will expand to more theatres in subsequent weeks.
Where Are We as of 2/13/2025
After the 6th week of 2025, the domestic box office stands at 109% compared to 2024 and 64% compared to 2019.
