411 Box Office Report: Captain America: Brave New World Holds Onto #1, The Monkey Bows At #2

Marvel stayed atop the box office as Captain America: Brave New World had a predictable second weekend drop but still led the way. The MCU film took in $28.2 million this weekend, a 68% drop from its three-day opening weekend. It’s a high drop for the MCU as a whole but better than a couple the franchise’s more recent entries in The Marvels (the MCU’s worst drop at 78%) and Ant-Man & The Wasp Quantumania (70%). It’s also the same as Thor: Love and Thunder’s second weekend drop and not far off of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (67%) and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (63%).

That drop was right about where most analysts had the film pegged. While there’s a lot of digital ink being spilled about how this indicates the film is a failure, that is not the case (yet). Outside of phenomenons like Deadpool & Wolverine and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3, superhero blockbusters are proving to be very frontloaded in the 2020s and Brave New World performed right where Marvel expected it to.

As it stands, the film is on its way to profit with $141.2 million domestically and $289.4 million worldwide against a $180 million budget. The profit point for the film is $425 million and, should the film continue to perform the same way Love & Thunder did, it should still be aiming for somewhere over $200 million domestically. With the international numbers actually holding on fairly well, this won’t be a Deadpool & Wolverine level hit by any measure but should, barring abnormal drops from here, prove to be a successful film for the studio.

Osgood Perkins’ The Monkey launched in the runner-up position as expected. The horror adaptation of the Stephen King short story started with $14.2 million. That is lower than initially expected, but still a very solid number for the NEON film and ranks as the highest horror opening of 2025 to date.

Hype was high for The Monkey considering the breakout success of Perkins’ Longlegs last year, but NEON was a bit more modest in the marketing here. Longlegs remains NEON and Perkins’ highest opening to date at $22.4 million off the back of an ingenious promotional campaign. Monkey makes a solid #2 for both studio and director. The film had solid critical buzz going in with a 78% Rotten Tomatoes aggregate score, and while word of mouth is much milder, it exactly equals Longlegs’ C+ CinemaScore and 61% RT audience rating.

While this all sounds like a disappointment, NEON isn’t stressing it. The film cost $11 million and is in a very good position here to deliver. While it opened in a crowded horror field, there isn’t another wide release in the genre until IFC Films’ Ash arrives on March 21st, and that has a lower profile. The Monkey seems likely to get close to Longlegs’ box office – err, legs. That would put the film at around $45 million domestic, which will make it a sizable hit for the studio.

Paddington In Peru was down 49% to $6.5 million in its second week. The family adventure film’ sophomore drop was much higher than the 27% slip of Paddington 2 in January of 2018, but we’re in a different time. Either way, Sony Pictures isn’t worried about it because this film is, much like the second, making its money overseas. The movie has $25.3 million domestically and $150.3 million worldwide against a $75 million budget and is still on course for likely around $40 million stateside.

Dog Man held onto the #4 spot as it slipped just 40% in its fourth weekend to $5.9 million. The numbers put DreamWorks’ latest animated film at $78.8 million domestically and $105 million worldwide, a profit for the studio against a $40 million budget. It should end up targeting around $85 million by the time it’s done.

Ne Zha 2 also held steady, with the Chinese-language animated adventure off 43% from its opening domestic weekend with $4.3 million. That’s a strong result for a foreign language film, as they typically end up quite front-loaded. The film has grossed $14.8 million stateside and is already the highest-grossing animated film of all time on a worldwide level with $1.841 billion. It should top $20 million stateside at this point.

Heart Eyes fell as expected after it’s incredibly strong Valentine’s Day hold. The rom com/slasher hybrid was off 71% from last weekend’s numbers to $2.9 million. It has $26.8 million domestically and $28.3 million worldwide and is looking at around $35 million in the US by the end of its run. The budget was $18 million.

Indian historical action film Chhaava climbed into the top 10 this weekend as it brought in $2.7 million in just 390 theaters. That’s up almost 50% from last weekend’s numbers. The Hindi-language film is surviving middling reviews to climb to $4.8 million domestically and $47.2 million worldwide, a success for Maddock Films. It will likely fall next weekend but it is already a hit.

Mufasa: The Lion King spent its 10th weekend in the top 10 as it slipped 41% to $2.5 million. The “live action” sequel has grossed $245.4 million stateside and $698.7 million worldwide, a hit against a $200 million budget. $250 million is still its US endgame.

Lionsgate’s inspirational drama The Unbreakable Boy came in low at #9 with just $2.5 million. That’s below the mid-single digit expectations that analysts and the studio had. It’s the latest theatrical flounder for Zachary Levi following last August’s Harold & The Purple Crayon and 2023’s Shazam! Fury of the Gods.

Unbreakable Boy had potential for Lionsgate; while it scored tepid reviews from critics (48% on RT), the audience reactions were strong with an A CinemaScore and 95% RT audience rating. But the marketing wasn’t there and the usual crowd for faith-based films didn’t come out for this. No word on its budget yet, but it’s not likely to get much over $7 million or so domestically.

One Of Them Days closed out the top 10 with $1.4 million in its sixth weekend, down 53%. The comedy has grossed $46 million in the US and $46.2 million worldwide against budget of $14 million. It should finish off with around $48 million.

Captain America: Brave New World should spend another weekend at #1 next weekend with a lack of new releases. The oceanic thriller Last Breath is looking to grab around $5 million or so.

BOX OFFICE TOP TEN (Three-Day Domestic Numbers)
1. Captain America: Brave New World – $28.2 million ($141.2 million total, $289.4 million WW)
2. The Monkey – $14.2 million ($14.2 million total, $14.2 million WW)
3. Paddington In Peru – $6.5 million ($25.3 million total, $150.3 million WW)
4. Dog Man – $5.9 million ($78.8 million total, $105 million WW)
5. Ne Zha 2 – $4.3 million ($14.9 million total, $1.841 billion WW)
6. Heart Eyes – $2.9 million ($26.8 million total, $28.3 million WW)
7. Chhaava – $2.7 million ($4.8 million total, $47.2 million WW)
8. Mufasa: The Lion King – $2.5 million ($245.4 million total, $698.7 million WW)
9. The Unbreakable Boy – $2.5 million ($2.5 million total, $2.5 million WW)
10. One Of Them Days – $1.4 million ($46 million total, $46.2 million WW)