Captain America: Brave New Worldreleases on February 14 and will need to make a substantial sum for theMCUto break even against its budget. While the only MCU release of 2024 earned a record-breaking figure for Marvel, there is a certain air of trepidation surrounding the release ofSam Wilson’s first solo outingas the titular Captain America. WhileThe Falcon and the Winter Soldiersaw Wilson accept the role bequeathed by Steve Rogers after much deliberation, it now falls to the public both in-universe and in reality to express the same confidence in Steve’s chosen successor.
Captain America: Brave New Worlddoes, at least, boast a stacked cast.Harrison Ford debuts as Thaddeus"Thunderbolt" Ross, who will transform into the fiery Red Hulk for the first time. Joining him is Tim Blake Nelson’s Samuel Sterns, AKA the Leader, and Giancarlo Esposito’s Seth Voelker, AKA Sidewinder, with all three set to pose a significant threat to the new, serum-deprived Cap. MajorCaptain America: Brave New Worldplot reveals, like the introduction of adamantium, means it will be a consequential installment to the Multiverse Saga, but whether that brings the numbers remains to be seen.
Captain America: Brave New World’s Budget Was $180 Million
This Makes It The Second-Most Expensive Captain America Movie
According toThe Hollywood Reporter,Captain America: Brave New World’s budget is $180 million. This places it on the lower end of the scale for MCU productions, sitting at the same level asThor: Ragnarokbut below last year’sDeadpool & Wolverineand the MCU’s debut movie,Iron Man.It is around half the budget ofCaptain America: Civil Warbut slightly more than Cap’s first two movies.Captain America: The First Avengeris one of the lowest-grossing andlowest-budget MCU movies, grossing $371 million globally and costing just $140 million.
Captain America Movies Production Budget And Box Office Results (viaThe Numbers)
$250 million
$1.2 billion
$180 million
$170 million
$714 million
$140 million
$371 million
It’s no surprise thatCaptain America: Brave New World’s budget exceeds those of Steve Rogers' first two movies.Trailer footage reveals plenty of high-octane and CGI-heavy action sequencesincluding Captain America’s airborne fight in the vicinity of the gargantuan Celestial body and his highly publicized tussle with Red Hulk in Washington DC.Captain America: Brave New Worldhas also been subject to multiple reshoots, though it is worth noting that this is standard practice formost if not all MCU movies. The involvement of big names like Harrison Ford, meanwhile, will also impact the bottom line.
How Much Captain America: Brave New World Needs For Box Office Success
The General Rule Is Double The Production Budget
WhileCaptain America: Brave New Worldcost $180 to make, it will need to make significantly more than this to break even. This is after considering post-production costs like marketing, with whichCaptain America: Brave New Worldhas been especially active over the last few months. With that in mind,Captain America: Brave New Worldcan be considered a success if and when it earns $360 million. This adheres to the general rule that a movie is considered a success when it grosses double its production budget.
This meansCaptain America: Brave New Worldneeds to matchCaptain America: The First Avenger, the lowest-grossing Captain America movie and the third-lowest-grossing MCU movie, to be successful.
This meansCaptain America: Brave New Worldneeds to matchCaptain America: The First Avenger, the lowest-grossing Captain America movie and thethird-lowest-grossing MCU movie, to be successful. Whilethis seems particularly attainable in the modern era of the MCU where Captain America is now a household name, it’s worth noting thatThe Marvels, which was released in 2023, remains the MCU’s biggest flop, grossing just $200 million worldwide against a budget of $270 million. Marvel Studios will no doubt wish to avoid replicating this with its latest movie. Thankfully, the prognosis looks relatively positive.
How Much Captain America: Brave New World Needs Is Projected To Make At The Box Office
Things Look Positive For The Opening Weekend
According to a new report fromDeadline,Captain America: Brave New Worldis projected to earn $94 million in its opening weekend and $190 million globally, which would cover its production budget in the first weekend alone. If projections prove accurate, this would placeCaptain America: Brave New Worldin the same vicinity asCaptain America: The Winter Soldier, which opened to $95 million, and far ahead ofCaptain America: The First Avenger, which opened to $65 million. While this falls short of the $135 million average for MCU movies, it setsCaptain America: Brave New Worldin good stead to be profitable.
Captain America: Civil Waropened to $179 million.
Threatening this success is the possibility of a significant drop in theater attendance following the opening weekend. Initialreviews forCaptain America: Brave New Worldare mixed, and an increase in general dissatisfaction could lead to a box office dip. Then again,the MCU’s lowest-rated movie,Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, still raked in $460 million worldwide, suggesting thateven mixed reviews shouldn’t spell doomforCaptain America: Brave New World. It stands to reason that Marvel will want more than a break-even result, but it at least looks like it will avoid replicatingTheMarvels' unfortunate results.
