Captain America: Civil War, the thirteenth film to come out of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, opened domestically last night and looks to be on its way to minting a ton of coin. After taking in an estimated $25 million in Thursday night previews, the latest Marvel entry looks to bring in a super-strong $180 in its first weekend in theaters. If projections hold, not only will Captain America: Civil War handily become the top grossing opener among the Captain America titles, but also hold the fifth largest opening period.
That last stat may give slight pause as the eagerly anticipated Civil War (which is also clicking well with critics) looks to just fall short of last summer’s opening for Marvel’s Avengers: Age of Ultron ($191 million) – early projections had Civil War breaking $200 million in its first frame. Only three films in history have topped $200 million in their opening frame – Star Wars: The Force Awakens ($247 million), Jurassic World ($208 million) and The Avengers ($207 million). Still, Civil War will surely best the opening for Iron Man 3 ($174 million) and help give Disney five of the six top openers in box office history.
Some are suggesting that Civil War‘s take may have been slightly chipped by Disney’s other current blockbuster The Jungle Book. The Jon Favreau-directed reboot of the beloved animated film has performed exceedingly well and held the top position at the box office for the last three weeks. With a projected $21 expected this week, a theory is starting to grow that Disney may have over-stocked its deck just slightly.
Either way, it’s a spectacular opening to be sure and we will stay tuned to developments.