“Captain America: Brave New World” is slated to open this weekend and it’s already generating negative attention, with some of the worst critical reviews of any Marvel film to date.
The fourth installment in the MCU’s Captain America franchise is led by Anthony Mackie, who took over the role from Chris Evans. Other main characters in this latest installment include Red Hulk (Harrison Ford), The Leader (Tim Blake Nelson), and Sidewinder (Giancarlo Esposito).
“Brave New World” has debuted with a 52% critics score on <a href="https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/captain_america_brave_new_world/reviews">Rotten Tomatoes</a> as of Thursday afternoon. Comparatively, that puts it only ahead of “Eternals” (2021) and “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” (2023), two recent MCU films that also got poor reviews from critics.
Digital Trends critic A. A. Dowd called the film a new “rock bottom” for the franchise with a “mess” of a plot. “No blockbuster that cost this much money should look this shoddy,” he added.
“With its cheap action and garish visuals, it’s then that we enter yet another genre altogether: action-figure commercial,” observed New York Times critic Brandon Yu.
Vulture critic Bilge Ebiri also had harsh words, calling Marvel a “giant slop machine” and saying the franchise was spinning “out of control into the confused and shallow mess that we have before us.”
Meanwhile, Washington Post critic Ty Burr gave the film 1.5 stars and called it “humorless” and a “pixel-pounding mishmash” that is “more interested in fan service and protecting corporate IP” than in telling a good story.
“The fight sequences are meditative, the grave-whisper acting belongs in a coming-attraction trailer from 1996 and, yet again, the viewer needs to have watched a TV series and at least two movies to fully grasp what’s happening,” New York Post reporter Johnny Oleksinski wrote.
The movie’s synopsis says, “Anthony Mackie returns as the high-flying hero Sam Wilson, who&#8217;s officially taken up the mantle of Captain America. After meeting with newly elected U.S. President Thaddeus Ross, Sam finds himself in the middle of an international incident. He must discover the reason behind a nefarious global plot before the true mastermind has the entire world seeing red.”
Bad reviews are only the latest controversy for the new “Captain America.” Recently, the film’s star came under fire for comments he made about the titular character. Mackie said, “For me, Captain America represents a lot of different things and I don’t think the term ‘America’ should be one of those representations. It’s about a man who keeps his word, who has honor, dignity, and integrity. Someone who is trustworthy and dependable.”
After his comments went viral, the actor clarified his statements and called himself “a proud American.”
“Let me be clear about this, I’m a proud American and taking on the shield of a hero like CAP [Captain America] is the honor of a lifetime,” he said, as The Daily Wire previously <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/marvel-star-responds-to-backlash-says-hes-a-proud-american">reported</a>.
“I have the utmost respect for those who serve and have served our country,” he added. “CAP has universal characteristics that people all over the world can relate to.”

Captain America Brave New World

New ‘Captain America’ Movie Trashed By Critics, Gets Record Low Score Ahead Of Release

New 'Captain America' Movie Trashed By Critics, Gets Record Low Score Ahead Of Release

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Director <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/tim-burton">Tim Burton</a> said he’s not interested in dabbling in <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/superhero">superhero</a> films again despite being considered by many to be a pioneer of the genre.
The 65-year-old celeb is best known for his gothic and horror <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/movies">films</a>, but he’s also recognized for being the creative force behind “Batman” (1989). That movie is thought to be the first in a long line of superhero films that was a gateway for Marvel and DC.
“I was lucky because at that time, the word ‘franchise’ didn’t exist,” Burton told <a href="https://variety.com/2024/film/features/tim-burton-beetlejuice-ed-wood-batman-walk-of-fame-1236111194/">Variety</a> of working on the movie. “So ‘Batman’ felt slightly experimental at the time. … It deviated from what the perception [of a superhero movie] might be.”
He went on to explain how he didn’t experience “pressure” from the studio because he was far removed from them.
“So you didn’t hear that kind of studio feedback, and being in England, it was even further removed. We really just got to focus on the film and not really think about those things that now they think about even before you do it,” Burton explained.
The filmmaker also discussed the idea of doing a sequel.
“I wasn’t really interested in doing a sequel, but I liked Penguin and Catwoman so I got reenergized by the whole thing,” he said. “And that was when we started hearing the word franchise and where the studio started going, ‘What’s the black stuff coming out of the Penguin’s mouth?’ It was the first time the cold wind of that kind of thing came upon me.”
When asked if he’d do a superhero movie in the future, the Academy Award nominee said probably not. “I would say no. Like I said, I come at things from different points of view, so I would never say never to anything. But, at the moment, it’s not something I’d be interested in.”
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In a recent interview with <a href="https://www.gq.com/story/michael-keaton-gq-hype">GQ</a>, “Batman” star Michael Keaton credited Burton with helping create the superhero film genre as it now stands despite pushback from comic book fans at the time.
“Tim deserves enormous credit. He changed everything,” Keaton said. “I can’t necessarily say this, but there’s a strong possibility there is no Marvel Universe, there is no DC Universe, without Tim Burton. He was doubted and questioned.”

Tim Burton

Tim Burton ‘Not Interested’ In Superhero Movies After Pioneering Genre With ‘Batman’

Tim Burton 'Not Interested' In Superhero Movies After Pioneering Genre With 'Batman'

“Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom&#8221; is projected to have an even worse opening than &#8220;The Marvels.&#8221; 
The &#8220;Aquaman&#8221; sequel opens on Friday, December 22. It is currently estimated to bring in $37 million to $43 million at the domestic box office over the four-day Christmas weekend, according to <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/aquaman-2-box-office-christmas-1235767054/">The Hollywood Reporter</a>. In comparison, the box office bomb that was the female-led sequel to &#8220;Captain Marvel&#8221; debuted to a $46.1 million opening weekend in November.
The Jason Momoa-led sequel from DC and Warner Bros. has a storyline that focuses on  Aquaman balancing his &#8220;duties as king and as a member of the Justice League, all while planning a wedding,&#8221; a <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9663764/">description</a> of the film read. &#8220;Black Manta is on the hunt for Atlantean tech to help rebuild his armor. Orm plots to escape his Atlantean prison.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
&#8216;Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom&#8217; Review: The DCEU Goes Belly-Up With One Last Disappointment <a href="https://t.co/GC03HJgXcr">https://t.co/GC03HJgXcr</a>
— TheWrap (@TheWrap) <a href="https://twitter.com/TheWrap/status/1737869780965630001?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 21, 2023</a></blockquote>
If estimates are correct, the upcoming sequel will not only do worse than Marvel&#8217;s latest movie but also generate less than the original &#8220;Aquaman&#8221; did in 2018 when it scored $105.4 million over the four-day Christmas holiday weekend, the outlet noted.
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However, despite the low box office projections, &#8220;Aquaman 2&#8221; is expected to be at the top of the box office due to what is expected to be a weak Christmas weekend flanked by &#8220;Wonka&#8221; and the Oprah Winfrey Broadway musical adaptation of &#8220;The Color of Purple,&#8221; both from Warner Bros.
Superhero movies have mostly struggled this year, with DC already suffering a blow with &#8220;The Flash,&#8221; which <a href="https://www.boxofficemojo.com/release/rl2225635841/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">debuted</a> in June at $55 million and ended up making $108 million at the domestic box office. 
The superhero movie starred troubled actor<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/the-flash-fizzles-at-box-office-despite-being-called-one-of-the-greatest-superhero-movies-ever-made"> Ezra Miller</a>, which some say could&#8217;ve led to the movie&#8217;s dismal numbers. Warner Bros. had a challenging time promoting the film due to controversies involving Miller in the months leading up to the release after he faced multiple accusations of criminal activity. The studio partially relied on word of mouth to publicize &#8220;The Flash&#8221; and the then-inherent popularity of the superhero genre.
In November, &#8220;<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/the-marvels-continues-to-flail-at-box-office-earns-worst-second-weekend-drop-of-all-time">The Marvels</a>&#8221; suffered the worst<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/female-led-the-marvels-has-worst-ever-opening-weekend-in-mcu-history"> opening weekend</a> in Marvel Cinematic Universe franchise history and the worst second-weekend drop of all time for Marvel Studios, beating out the previous holder &#8220;Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantamania.&#8221;
The Brie Larson-led film fell 78% in box office performance for its second weekend out and had the worst-ever box office drop for any modern-day Hollywood superhero film, The<a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/hunger-games-prequel-box-office-opening-1235663158/"> Hollywood Reporter</a> noted.

Aquaman 2

‘Aquaman’ Sequel Projected To Have Worse Opening Weekend Than ‘The Marvels’

'Aquaman' Sequel Projected To Have Worse Opening Weekend Than ‘The Marvels’

Jason Momoa

DC&#8217;s &#8220;Aquaman&#8221; sequel is projected to make less than half of what the original film did its opening holiday weekend as the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/superheroes" target="_blank" rel="noopener">superhero</a> genre continues to struggle at the box office.
&#8220;Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom&#8221; is currently tracking to make $40 million in projected ticket sales over the four-day Christmas holiday weekend (Dec. 22-Dec 25), according to sources with access to data compiled by the National Research Group (NRC), according to <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/aquaman-lost-kingdom-tracking-box-office-migration-1235702120/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Hollywood Reporter</a>.
Warner Bros., home of DC, is projecting sales will be a bit higher and more in the ballpark of $50 million over the holiday weekend, the outlet noted.
The movie is a sequel to the 2018 &#8220;Aquaman&#8221; film, which earned $75.8 million over the four-day holiday weekend (Dec. 21-24) and $86.7 million through Monday, which was Christmas Eve. The five-day holiday opening in 2018, through Christmas Day, scored $97.8 million. In the end, the film made $1.2 billion globally, per <a href="https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt1477834/?ref_=bo_se_r_1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">BoxOfficeMojo</a>.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Aquaman?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Aquaman</a> and the Lost Kingdom will face rough seas when swimming into theaters over Christmas as the superhero genre continues to struggle <a href="https://t.co/15b8gv1S4Z">https://t.co/15b8gv1S4Z</a>
— The Hollywood Reporter (@THR) <a href="https://twitter.com/THR/status/1730575996825305208?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 1, 2023</a></blockquote>
The Jason Momoa-led film takes fans back to the water as &#8220;Aquaman balances his duties as king and as a member of the Justice League, all while planning a wedding,&#8221; a description on <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9663764/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">IMDb</a> reads.
&#8220;Black Manta is on the hunt for Atlantean tech to help rebuild his armor,&#8221; it added. &#8220;Orm plots to escape his Atlantean prison.&#8221;
The film&#8217;s low expectations come as the superhero genre has been struggling lately. Most recently, Disney&#8217;s female-led film &#8220;The Marvels&#8221; <a href="https://www.npr.org/2023/11/14/1212836733/the-marvels-earned-a-disappointing-47-million-in-it-opening-weekend#:~:text=%22The%20Marvels%2C%22%20the%2033rd,million%20in%20its%20opening%20weekend." target="_blank" rel="noopener">opened</a> to just $47 million in its first weekend. It comes after expectations for ticket sales for the Marvel film had been lowered ahead of the film&#8217;s release from an estimated $75-$80 million in projected ticket sales to just $60-$65 million, as previously <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/female-led-film-the-marvels-lowers-box-office-expectations-to-60m-ahead-of-premiere" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>.
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The Brie Larson-led Marvel Cinematic Universe film also fell 78% in box office performance for its second weekend out and managed to beat out the previous holder of the worst drop-off from opening weekend held by the third film in the &#8220;Ant Man&#8221; franchise, &#8220;Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania,&#8221; which experienced a 69% drop, the <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/hunger-games-prequel-box-office-opening-1235663158/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Hollywood Reporter</a> noted.
&#8220;The Marvels&#8221; is a sequel to the 2019 film, which opened to $153.4 million in North America and eventually raked in $1.13 billion worldwide.
Over the summer, DC&#8217;s film &#8220;<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/the-flash-fizzles-at-box-office-despite-being-called-one-of-the-greatest-superhero-movies-ever-made" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Flash</a>&#8221; struggled to gain traction as well, after it earned just $55 million its opening weekend domestically and just $270.6 million overall in earnings globally.
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/the-marvels-continues-to-flail-at-box-office-earns-worst-second-weekend-drop-of-all-time" target="_blank" rel="noopener">&#8216;The Marvels&#8217; Continues To Flail At Box Office, Earns Worst Second-Weekend Drop Of All Time</a>

‘Aquaman’ Sequel Projected To Make Less Than Half Of Original Movie On Opening Weekend As Superhero Genre Struggles

Celebrities

Disney&#8217;s latest superhero movie &#8220;<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/female-led-the-marvels-has-worst-ever-opening-weekend-in-mcu-history" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Marvels</a>&#8221; continues to be a box office disaster as the female-led film suffered the worst second-weekend drop of all time for Marvel Studios.
The Brie Larson-led Marvel Cinematic Universe film fell 78 percent in box office performance for its second weekend out and is currently tracking as the worst second-week showing for any modern day Hollywood superhero film, the <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/hunger-games-prequel-box-office-opening-1235663158/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Hollywood Reporter</a> reported.
&#8220;The Marvels&#8221; is a sequel to the 2019 film &#8220;Captain Marvel&#8221; and has managed to beat out the previous holder of the worst dropoff from opening weekend held by the third film in the &#8220;Ant Man&#8221; franchise, &#8220;Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania,&#8221; which experienced a 69 percent drop.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TheMarvels?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TheMarvels</a> is shaping up to be the first MCU movie to fall short of $100 million at the domestic box office. <a href="https://t.co/Fu8UdlJGzM">https://t.co/Fu8UdlJGzM</a> <a href="https://t.co/Pm4wi68Pmz">pic.twitter.com/Pm4wi68Pmz</a>
— Variety (@Variety) <a href="https://twitter.com/Variety/status/1726512703441707011?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 20, 2023</a></blockquote>
The new Marvel film failed to meet expectations its opening weekend with the box office estimates lowered before the release from $75-$80 million in projected ticket sales to just $60-$65 million, as previously <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/female-led-film-the-marvels-lowers-box-office-expectations-to-60m-ahead-of-premiere" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>. Opening weekend proved worse, with the movie earning just $47 million, and the showing is officially being called the worst debut in MCU history, <a href="https://variety.com/2023/film/box-office/box-office-the-marvels-bombs-worst-marvel-cinematic-universe-opening-weekend-1235788513/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Variety</a> reported.
The second weekend out, the new Marvel film continued to struggle, earning $10.2 million, — for a total after two weeks of just $65 million — THR noted. And overseas the movie did just about as well, adding $19.5 million from 52 markets for a total of $96.3 million internationally and $161.3 million globally, <a href="https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt10676048/?ref_=bo_se_r_1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">BoxOfficeMojo</a> noted.
&#8220;The Marvels&#8221; is led by three females and was directed by black female director, Nia DaCosta, <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/the-marvels-box-office-marvel-1235639482/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">THR</a> noted.
&#8220;Carol Danvers, aka Captain Marvel, has reclaimed her identity from the tyrannical Kree and taken revenge on the Supreme Intelligence,&#8221; a description about the film read, per THR. &#8220;However, unintended consequences see her shouldering the burden of a destabilized universe. When her duties send her to an anomalous wormhole linked to a Kree revolutionary, her powers become entangled with two other superheroes to form the Marvels.&#8221;
Only two other films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe have opened to lower than $60 million: &#8220;The Incredible Hulk&#8221; in 2008, which brought in $55.4 million, not adjusted for inflation, as previously <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/female-led-film-the-marvels-lowers-box-office-expectations-to-60m-ahead-of-premiere" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported,</a> and &#8220;Ant-Man&#8221; in 2015, which earned $57.2 million domestically, not adjusted for inflation.
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/female-led-film-the-marvels-lowers-box-office-expectations-to-60m-ahead-of-premiere" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Female-Led Film &#8216;The Marvels&#8217; Lowers Box Office Expectations To $60M Ahead Of Premiere</a>

The Marvels

‘The Marvels’ Continues To Flail At Box Office, Earns Worst Second-Weekend Drop Of All Time