The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) just faced another reality check with Captain America: Brave New World’s shocking 68% drop in its second weekend at the box office. After a decent $88.8 million debut, earning a respectable $141 million domestically and $289.4 million globally thus far, the film plummeted hard in its sophomore outing, pulling in just $28.3 million. For the MCU brand—once synonymous with record-breaking blockbusters—this sharp decline reflects a deeper issue more significant than the drop itself. Captain America Throws More Than His Mighty Shield… The Numbers Don’t Lie To put this into perspective, the 68% drop for Brave New World aligns more with the infamous slips of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (70%) than Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (47%), the latter of which went on to have a much longer box office legs. What’s worse? The film earned a B- CinemaScore—a record low for Marvel. Even Eternals and Ant-Man 3, considered quintessential MCU misfires by fans and critics alike, managed a B+. Yikes. Adding insult to injury are comparisons to MCU’s heavy hitters (Avengers, Endgame, Black Panther), which scored A+ CinemaScores and cemented Marvel’s dominance. Brave New World made Marvel history, but not in a good way. Frankenstein’s Monster of Subplots James Carrick’s Worth it or Woke review doesn’t hold back, calling the movie “a Frankenstein’s monster of sewn-together subplots and ridiculousness.” From cyborg senators to Sam Wilson’s inexplicable transformation into a physics-defying superhuman (without ever taking the super-soldier serum), the film’s absurdities pile higher than a stack of unanswerable plot threads. Our full Captain America: Brave New World review is now available.https://t.co/cUO0N8v2UK — Worth it or Woke? (reviews) (@worthitorwoke) February 15, 2025 Carrick points out that the movie suffered from its chaotic production—a “nightmare behind the scenes” filled with reshoots and tension. And boy, does it show. He describes the pacing as spasmatic Whack-O-Mole plots that pop up randomly, making the narrative feel stitched together..”. Who needs cohesion when you can ride a rocket like a surfboard, right? A Captain Without a Compass The biggest problem, however, isn’t just the messy production. It’s Sam Wilson himself—or rather, how poorly the character has been handled. Carrick nails it when he says, “While [Sam] may lament more than once in the film that he didn’t take the super-soldier serum, this iteration of The Falcon doesn’t need it.” He can somehow survive forces and injuries that would liquidate any normal human. Here’s the thing about Captain America (the original Steve Rogers version): his super-soldier serum gave him a plausible edge in battles. Sam lacked that serum yet defies all laws of biology to duke it out with villains like Hulk. Add to that the laughable addition of his pint-sized, freight-train-kicking sidekick, and you’ve lost whatever suspension of disbelief audiences might have granted. Poor Audience Reception Overrides the Numbers Rotten Tomatoes reports an audience score of 80%, but as Carrick and many others have speculated, this feels artificially inflated. Rumors have circulated for years that Rotten Tomatoes moderates reviews with clear biases and is no stranger to overselling “approved” narratives, and the inclusion of a black Captain America certainly fits what many believe to be its intersectional preferences. Yet, in spaces like X, the gloves are off. Fans have slammed the movie for being too “woke,” with unnecessary narrative pandering that detracted from telling a compelling story. Even famed video game director Hideo Kojima took to X, questioning plot gaps and expressing confusion over how the film fits into the larger MCU timeline. I watched “Captain America: Brave New World” in IMAX. I vaguely remember Sam receiving the shield in “Endgame,” but when did he officially become Cap? Is it because I haven’t seen “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier?” And what’s this about the Avengers being reorganized? I’m also… pic.twitter.com/R1WltUhS3u — HIDEO_KOJIMA (@HIDEO_KOJIMA_EN) February 23, 2025 For all its flaws, Brave New World did feature the likable Anthony Mackie back in the lead role, whose charisma is one of the few anchors in this lost-at-sea disaster of a superhero flick. Carrick remarks that Mackie’s talent “isn’t even close to enough to save this disaster of a film.” The Second-Weekend Plunge Was Inevitable Marvel’s golden era of Avengers-level loyalty has clearly waned. Audiences are no longer rushing to theaters only to be strung along by tepid setups for future cash grabs because, quite frankly, they’ve been burned one time too many (The Marvels, anyone?). Reduced audience enthusiasm becomes glaringly clear when compared to historic MCU performances. Iron Man (2008) had a lifetime gross of $318.6 million domestically, kicking off a wave of goodwill. Even the original Captain America (2011) grossed over $176 million, laying the groundwork for the character’s arc. By contrast, Brave New World fails to compete at its projected $113 million. A poor CinemaScore, reliance on overblown special effects, and nonsensical action scenes all factor into its abrupt halt at the box office. The MCU has a massive branding issue to solve. Sliding into irrelevance, Brave New World underscores the trouble facing Phase 5 and beyond. After a massive week 2 drop for #CaptainAmericaBraveNewWorld the MCU media shills continue to run cover for the film. The fact is that it is currently tracking 15% behind where Quantumania was domestically and 20% globally at the same point of its release…based on these numbers… — OMB Reviews (@OMBReviews) February 23, 2025 Where Do We Go From Here? With Captain America positioned as a linchpin for the MCU’s next phase, its faltering box office success (read failure) isn’t just concerning—it’s potentially catastrophic. The last few years have seen Disney’s juggernaut struggle to regain its footing, and Brave New World might embody everything wrong with its cookie-cutter approach to modern blockbusters. If the MCU continues to shrug off fan backlash as “audience fatigue” or wrongfully assumes woke narratives will carry water despite poor execution, its new normal might just look like its second-weekend box office receipts—a resounding 68% drop. For a full breakdown of the film’s unapologetic absurdity and sewing-machine editing, read James Carrick’s hilarious and scathing Worth it or Woke review here. It’s worth the click—unlike Brave New World, which doesn’t appear to be worth the price of a ticket.The post Captain America: Brave New World’s Second Week Box Office Plunge first appeared on Worth it or Woke.