LOS ANGELES, (Variety.com) – Marvel-Disney’s “Captain America: Civil War” has opened the summer spectacularly with a dominant $181.8 million weekend at 4,266 U.S. locations.
The third “Captain America” movie met lofty expectations with the fifth-best domestic opening weekend of all time — trailing only “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” at $248 million, “Jurassic World” at $208.8 million, “Marvel’s The Avengers” at $207.4 million and “Avengers: Age of Ultron” at $191.3 million. The tentpole has already topped the final domestic total of 2011’s “Captain America: The First Avenger” at $176.6 million and should eclipse 2014’s “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” at $259 million by the end of next weekend.
The marketing for “Civil War” clearly resonated with moviegoers, as it promised an epic fight between Chris Evans’ Captain America and Robert Downey Jr.’s Iron Man, plus the introduction of Chadwick Boseman’s Black Panther and Tom Holland’s Spider-Man.
Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst with ComScore, said the performance of “Captain America: Civil War” underlines Marvel and Disney’s adept management of a key franchise.
“‘Captain America: Civil War’ certainly delivered the goods as the official kick off movie of the summer of 2016 was in perfect position to capitalize on its sheer quality, massive entertainment value, brand appeal and a high-profile release date,” he noted. “Despite a cadre of sports-related options on the small screen, including the Kentucky Derby and Stanley Cup playoffs, ‘Cap’ came on strong with a top 5 all-time opening weekend debut and expected long-term bankability at the multiplex.”
