'Captain America' dives in second weekend, 'The Monkey' adds to Neon's successes

This image released by Disney shows Danny Ramirez, left, and Anthony Mackie in a scene from Marvel Studios' "Captain America: Brave New World." (Marvel Studios-Disney via AP)

NEW YORK (AP) — “Captain America: Brave New World” soared on opening weekend, but crash-landed in its second go-around with audiences.

“Brave New World,” the latest sign that the Marvel machine isn’t quite what it used to be, remained No. 1 at the box office in its second frame with US$28.2 million in ticket sales, according to studio estimates Sunday. But after a debut of $100 million over four days and $88 million over three days, that meant a steep drop of 68%.

While blockbusters often see significant slides in their second weekends, only two previous MCU titles have fallen off so fast: 2023’s “The Marvels,” which fell 78%, and 2023’s “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania,” which dropped 70%.

The Anthony Mackie-led “Captain America” installment has been slammed by critics, and audiences also have graded it poorly, with a “B-” CinemaScore. “Brave New World,” which fans had hoped would right the Marvel ship, has been largely met as another example of a once impenetrable brand struggling to recapture its pre-“Avengers: Endgame” aura of invincibility.

Still, “Brave New World” has quickly grossed $289.4 million worldwide, with international sales nearly reaching $150 million. And with few big-budget offerings arriving in theaters in the coming weeks, it will have scant competition through much of March.

The biggest new release of the weekend was Oz Perkins’ “The Monkey,” the director’s follow-up to his 2024 horror hit, “Longlegs.” Adapted from a Stephen King short story, “The Monkey” opened with $14.2 million for Neon, the second-best debut for the indie distributor. The best? “Longlegs,” which launched with $22.4 million.

Neon had much to celebrate over the weekend. Its top awards contender, “Anora,” by Sean Baker, continues to gather momentum into next Sunday’s Academy Awards. The best-picture favorite added wins at the Independent Spirit Awards on Saturday.

Perkins, Neon and Blumhouse, which partnered in the release of “The Monkey,” have found a productive low-budget collaboration, with more on the way. Even if “The Monkey” doesn’t reach the heights of “Longlegs” ($126.9 million globally), Perkins and Neon return with “Keeper” this October.

“The Monkey,” starring Tatiana Maslany and Theo James, revolves around an old monkey toy found in an attic. Reviews have been good (77% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes), though audiences were less impressed, giving it a C+ CinemaScore. Horror films, though, typically grade low.

As it did with “Longlegs,” Neon leaned into cryptic promotion for “The Monkey,” along with some macabre marketing. A funeral premiere was held Los Angeles’ Immanuel Presbyterian Church, and fan screenings took place at Hollywood Cemetery. The film, produced by James Wan, cost $10 million to make.

Lionsgate’s “The Unbreakable Boy” opened with a paltry $2.5 million in 1,687 theaters. The Christian-themed Jon Gunn-directed film starring Zachary Levi and Meghann Fahy, is about parents who learn their son is autistic and has brittle bone disease.

“Paddington in Peru,” the third installment of the marmalade-mad bear, fell to third place in its second weekend. It grossed $6.5 million in 3,890 locations, bringing its two-week total to $25.2 million. “Paddington in Peru” has been most popular overseas, where it’s collected $125 million thus far.

“Ne Zha 2,” the animated Chinese juggernaut, took in $3.1 million from 800 theaters in its second weekend. In China, the sequel has grossed $1.7 billion this month, setting numerous box-office records. Those totals put “Ne Zha 2” past “Inside Out 2” ($1.66 billion) as the highest grossing animated film ever.

Top 10 movies by domestic box office

With final domestic figures releasing Monday, this list factors in the estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore.

1. “Captain America: Brave New World,” $28.2 million.

2. “The Monkey,” $14.2 million.

3. “Paddington in Peru,” $6.5 million.

4. “Dog Man,” $5.9 million.

5. “Ne Zha 2,” $3.1 million.

6. “Heart Eyes,” $2.9 million.

7. “Mufasa: The Lion King,” $2.5 million.

8. “The Unbreakable Boy,” $2.5 million.

9. “Chhaava,” $1.5 million.

10. “One of Them Days,” $1.4 million.

Jake Coyle, The Associated Press