Online discourse versus reality proves reality once again triumphs. With months of comical talk about impacting the box office of Captain Marvel, a film many claimed was being rammed down their throats, and an organized campaign to impact its rating at various aggregation sites, the opening weekend box office has landed (with final numbers to come out late Monday) and, well, it was another case of sound and fury.
With estimates originally in the $120 – $140 million range domestically and a worldwide estimate of $350 million, Captain Marvel has arrived with a $153 million domestic take and a $302 million overseas take to bring it to $455 million in three days. A feat not easily accomplished even with new Marvel franchises as opening installments tend to take just a bit longer to reach mass appeal. The film is now the third highest March opening of all-time and could be the highest once the final numbers come in. Standard formula for box office data has this film looking at a $420 million domestic take when all is said and done and would position it as the fifth highest grossing domestic Marvel film, if the formula holds.
The film was 55% male according to exit information and 64% over 25 and it earned an “A” CinemaScore overall.
The film is the sixth largest worldwide debut ever and it did $89.3 million in China alone. The only market it didn’t open in was Japan, which is happening next weekend.
The rest of the box office, well, it’s about as you’d expect as nothing else of significant note really opened. How To Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World took the second spot with a $14.6 million take to bring it to $119.6 while A Madea Family Funeral landed in third with $12 million to bring it to $45.8 since it debuted. Everything else is under $4 million as Captain Marvel sucked the oxygen out of the room for the weekend.
Next week sees three wide releases and almost a dozen limited releases so we’ll just focus on trailers for the wide ones. Focus Features brings Captive State out in 2,200 screens while Lionsgate goes for Five Feet Apart in 2,600 screens. Paramount goes after the kids with Wonder Park in 3,500 screens. Other films out in limited release include The Aftermath War from Fox Searchlight, Ash is Purest White from Cohen Media Group, Chimera Strain from Vertical Entertainment, Faith, Hope & Love from ArtAffects, The Hummingbird Project from The Orchard, Iceman (2019) from Film Movement, The Mustang from Focus Features, Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase from Warner Bros., No Manches Frida 2 from Pantelion, Off Season from Indican, and Yardie from Rialto.
