‘Bring creativity back to the MCU’: The lessons learned from ‘Captain America’s’ nearly 70% drop at the box office

This is where Captain America: Brave New World comes into the picture. Here, Anthony Mackie’s character Sam Wilson, who first appeared as Falcon in Captain America: The Winter Soldier in 2014, has officially taken the baton from Steve Rogers (aka Captain America). It’s not a reboot, but rather a continuation of the narrative in which the sidekick becomes the protagonist by literally taking on his superhero alter ego. Brave New World, therefore, is the ultimate test of sorts for Feige and the future of the MCU. Can Feige continue to make more Captain America movies (and presumably, more Iron Man, Thor, and Hulk movies) with tertiary characters in the leading roles? Will these actors have the same box-office draw as Chris Evans, Robert Downey Jr., and Mark Ruffalo, and will their characters be compelling enough to warrant taking the lead as the new Avengers? Most importantly, will audiences get behind this narrative shift or will they give into comic book movie fatigue?

Well, if Brave New World’s box-office numbers during its first two weeks serve as indication of anything, it’s that Feige’s strategy is sufficient enough to keep the superfans coming for opening weekend. However, it’s simply not enough to keep the audience growing, which was, of course, a key factor to the success of the MCU in its heyday. Even “normies” wanted to know what all the fuss was about, but there’s not much buzz or excitement about this latest movie. Let’s break down why the commercial, critical, and audience reception of Captain America: Brave New World thus far suggests why Feige should make a U-turn on this road he’s been going down instead.

Cracking the Numbers: How is Brave New World Doing Financially?

In just its second weekend, Brave New World dropped 68% at the box office, which is already not a good sign. Of course, studio executives can expect a significant decrease in box office revenue after a much-hyped opening weekend, but the trouble is that the new Captain America’s opening weekend was only just on par with industry expectations ($88.8 million). That’s nowhere near as strong an opening as the ones Marvel films used to have during the franchise’s peak. On top of that, the film earned a “B-” CinemaScore. This key figure, based on surveys of audience reactions, tends to predict how word-of-mouth might affect a movie’s box office down the road. A “B-” means that the future is not bright for Cap!

Brave New World is certainly not looking like it's going to be a Deadpool & Wolverine, which managed to gross $1.3 billion, bypassing mixed reviews with a strong audience reception. Of course, that film had the dual star power of Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman. Sure, the new Captain America also stars Harrison Ford, but based on the poor performance of his Indiana Jones sequel last year, the box office magic Ford once possessed has clearly lost its spark. 

While this film is certainly not performing as badly as The Marvels did, it’s not even as strong as Ant-Man & the Wasp: Quantumania. In some ways, that makes sense because both films follow secondary Avengers characters in leading roles. However, based on the title alone, Feige wants audiences to view this film as a Captain America movie. There is a reason why it’s not called Falcon: Brave New World. With that in mind, these first two weekends indicate a severe underperformance when compared to the last Captain America-centric film, Civil War, which grossed over a billion dollars.

Why Kevin Feige Needs to Re-Strategize

_{via Erik Mclean}

Clearly, calling this latest installment Captain America: Brave New World was not enough to reach the commercial heights from when Steve Rogers was Captain America. The core Marvel fanbase may still be going to the multiplex with each new release, but Anthony Mackie’s Sam Wilson does not draw the same audience that Chris Evans’s Steve Rogers could attract. That audience needs to include non-Marvel moviegoers as well for the film to reach the numbers Marvel used to earn with ease.

Furthermore, that “B-” CinemaScore not only indicates that word-of-mouth is unlikely to attract “normies” to Brave New World, but it also shows that the core Marvel audience did not enjoy the movie. If I were Feige, I’d be worried that the strategy of having secondary characters assume the identities of the main Avengers will only continue to disappoint and frustrate audiences. Eventually, that core fanbase may even stop coming back.

There’s no point in doubling down on this plan, and given that it’s just one film, it’s not too late to backtrack. So, how should Feige re-strategize? Well, it’s too soon to reboot the franchise entirely. Reuniting the original characters will come across as too desperate, especially given the way Endgame wrapped up their storylines. Giving the secondary characters their own movies only makes so much money at the end of the day (see Ant-Man’s similar second weekend decline at the box office), unless you have an anomaly on your hands like Deadpool (which largely benefited from the star power of its leads and the anti-Marvel nature of its protagonist).

The answer is simple: Create new superheroes within the MCU. That way, you maintain the branding while creating something fresh with new faces that could attract a more wide-ranging audience, one that does not need to have seen all of the previous films to understand what’s going on. Niche comic book storylines will only cater to the core fanbase, and the well of reusable, pre-existing secondary characters is running dry. It’s time to infuse some creativity back into the MCU. At this point, only a “Brave New World” of characters, actors, and storylines will resuscitate the franchise. To that end, Mr. Feige, if you’re interested in a Captain Cheezburger whose superpower is serving memes, we are ready, willing, and able to take your call.