At the zenith of the superhero craze a few years prior, Disney accelerated its Marvel production lines to breakneck speeds. However, this relentless pace soon took a toll on quality, leading to a decline in ticket sales. Recognizing this, Disney hit the brakes. In the subsequent year, Marvel unveiled just one cinematic juggernaut, “Deadpool & Wolverine,” alongside two Disney+ series, marking a stark contrast to 2021 when it churned out four films (with varied reception) and five Disney+ series.
Has the factory overhaul borne fruit? Perhaps: Marvel’s “Captain America: Brave New World” soared to the top of the global box office this weekend. With a production and marketing budget of at least $300 million, the film was on track to gross approximately $100 million in tickets from Thursday to Monday in the U.S. and Canada, according to box office data aggregator Comscore. International audiences were poised to contribute an additional $92 million or so.
Yet, perhaps not: “Brave New World” received the lowest grade in Marvel Cinematic Universe history—a B-minus—from CinemaScore exit polls. Rotten Tomatoes tallied only 50% positive reviews, awarding it a “rotten” rating. Just two other Marvel films rank lower on Rotten Tomatoes, both of which quickly lost steam at the box office despite opening strong fueled by fervent fans and over-the-top marketing.
Amid a racist backlash from some internet users and right-wing pundits, who lambasted Marvel for casting a Black actor in the lead role to revive the “Captain America” franchise (dubbing it a “D.E.I. hire” across numerous posts), “Brave New World” surpassed analysts’ expectations. Anthony Mackie, who succeeded Chris Evans as the character, faced accusations of being “anti-American” due to a comment he made during overseas promotion.
“Captain America stands for numerous things, and I don’t believe ‘America’ should be one of them,” Mr. Mackie stated. “He’s about keeping one’s word, honor, dignity, and integrity. He’s someone trustworthy and dependable.”
Even after Mr. Mackie swiftly clarified on Instagram that he meant no disrespect to America but rather emphasized his character’s universality, boycott chatter persisted online. Some individuals seemingly purchased tickets as a counterprotest. “We went to support the DEI hire for Captain America,” wrote Deborah Olivia Farmer, a Chicago communications executive, ironically employing the term on Threads on Saturday.
Mr. Mackie joined the Marvel ranks in 2014 as the winged superhero Falcon in “Captain America: The Winter Soldier.” In 2021, his character assumed the mantle of Captain America in the season finale of the Disney+ series “Falcon and the Winter Soldier,” which explored the implications of a Black man wielding the Captain America shield.
Harrison Ford stars in “Brave New World” as a power-mad U.S. president who transforms into Red Hulk, wreaking havoc in government and society. Disney initially slated the film for release in May of last year, long before Donald J. Trump’s return to the presidency and his war on D.E.I., prompting companies, including Disney, to backtrack on their diversity policies. “Brave New World” faced delays due in part to Hollywood labor strikes and Marvel’s dissatisfaction with some action sequences.
Among critics at least, the studio’s makeover fell short. The only two Marvel films with lower Rotten Tomatoes scores are “Eternals” (47% positive) and “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” (46%). After adjusting for inflation, “Eternals” garnered $86 million in opening-weekend sales in 2021, while “Quantumania” amassed $113 million over three days in 2023. It was rare for a Marvel film to gross less than $700 million worldwide. “Eternals” ultimately tallied $402 million globally—a disaster by Marvel standards. “Quantumania” managed $476 million.
“Quantumania” was helmed by Marvel veteran Peyton Reed. In other instances where Marvel movies struggled critically or commercially (or both), the directors lacked experience with expansive franchise films, let alone superhero tales. Julius Onah directed “Brave New World,” whose résumé previously consisted solely of two low-budget thrillers and “The Cloverfield Paradox,” a $45 million Netflix movie.
