One recent Marvel Studios movie that did not perform well at the box office now ranks as the most-viewed project on the Disney+ streaming service. The MCU has had its difficulties from a box office standpoint over the last few years in theaters (outside of 2024's Deadpool & Wolverine). However, fans are always reliable when it comes to viewing the franchise's films when they are available for home viewing.
Marvel Studios' Captain America: Brave New World earned the top spot on the list of the most-viewed streaming films of the week in the first week of its tenure on Disney+. The fourth Captain America movie earned mixed reviews from critics ahead of its debut, leading to it becoming the latest MCU movie to underperform financially.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Brave New World garnered 750,000,000 minutes viewed from May 26 to June 1. This was nearly 100,000,000 minutes higher than The Wild Robot on Peacock and Netflix, and it nearly doubled the 394,000,000 minutes for 2002's Lilo & Stitch (the live-action remake of which had just been released the week before on May 23).
This comes after Captain America: Brave New World underperformed at the box office, grossing just over $415 million worldwide. It ranks just outside the five lowest-grossing movies in MCU history, and in the Captain America franchise, only 2011's Captain America: The First Avenger earned less money at the box office.
Captain America: Brave New World is Anthony Mackie's first solo movie as Sam Wilson/Captain America, alongside Danny Ramirez, Harrison Ford, Carl Lumbly, Giancarlo Esposito, and Tim Blake Nelson. Tasked with rebuilding the Avengers, Sam faces a number of terrifying adversaries, including Sidewinder, the Leader, and President Thaddeus Ross' Red Hulk. Captain America: Brave New World is streaming on Disney+.
How Important Are Disney+ Viewing Numbers for the MCU?
Seeing Captain America 4 perform so impressively in its first week on Disney+ is certainly encouraging for the MCU, particularly after a number of recent movies came up short of box office expectations. However, Marvel still has plenty of work to do to get back on track and see the success it is used to having.
Thunderbolts* became the latest movie to underperform at the box office, grossing less than Captain America 4 did, even with largely positive reviews from both critics and fans.
Up next for the MCU is The Fantastic Four: First Steps, which will bring Marvel's first family into the Marvel Studios adventure for the first time after decades of waiting. Expectations are already sky-high for this movie to bring the MCU back to prominence, with ticket presales already going bonkers and the stakes being quite high for Reed Richards, Sue Storm, Johnny Storm, and Ben Grimm in the film itself.
After this movie, barring any changes, Marvel will go on a one-year break from releasing movies in theaters, with the next release being the highly anticipated Spider-Man: Brand New Day. While Marvel could still add more to its theatrical slate to fill in that gap, Brand New Day and the eventual Avengers: Doomsday will have all eyes on the MCU, with the latter bringing together multiple generations of superhero actors in a multiversal battle against Robert Downey Jr.'s Doctor Doom.
For now, however, the hope is that Captain America 4's success on Disney+ kickstarts an upward trend for Marvel Studios that they can use to build some positive momentum for the future.
Richard Nebens joined The Direct in March 2020, now serving as the site's Senior Writer and also working as an assistant editor and content creator. He started his journalism career as a hobby in 2019 and is passionate about sharing news and stories from the entertainment industry, especially comic book movies, comedy, and sci-fi. Richard looks to expand his knowledge about movies and TV every day, and he is eager to stay locked into the latest releases and breaking news at every opportunity.
