Anthony Mackie’s first soloMCUouting isn’t soaring with critics asCaptain America: Brave New Worlddebuts with the third-lowest Rotten Tomatoes score in the franchise. SinceEndgame, the MCU has struggled to be consistent with the quality of its projects. Many of its television shows have been disappointing, and several of the studio’s films didn’t receive high praise from audiences and critics. After scoring abig hit with critics withDeadpool & Wolverine, the MCU may be taking a step back with its latest film.
Captain America: Brave New Worlddebuts with a 48% critic score onRotten Tomatoesout of 75 reviews. Its current score is only higher thanEternals(47%) andAnt-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania(46%). This early word-of-mouth is disappointing as the MCU tries to bounce back after a few underwhelming films in 2023, but it could also lead to an underwhelming box office performance forBrave New World.
What Captain America: Brave New World’s RT Score Means
Brave New World’s Rotten Tomatoes score isn’t an automatic indicator that MCU audiences will dislike this movie. Many of the lowest-rated MCU films still have high audience scores. The lowest 10 MCU films still have fresh audience scores, indicating audiences and critics have disagreed before on Marvel projects. However, the low Rotten Tomatoes score fromCaptain America: Brave New World’sreviewscould significantly impact its box office.
76%
82%
74%
85%
72%
71%
68%
69%
67%
75%
Thor: Love and Thunder
63%
62%
80%
48%
47%
77%
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania
46%
81%
Captain America: Brave New Worldis projected to make between $85-$95 million domestically, and $190 million worldwide. Its low critic score likely won’t impact its opening weekend, butit could damage the film’s theatrical run, especially in its second weekend.Quantumaniahad a solid opening weekend but experienced a disastrous 69% drop in its second weekend. The same thing happened toThe Marvels, which experienced a 79% drop. Poor word-of-mouth will affect whether casual audiences see it or if MCU viewers return for a second viewing.
Our Take On Captain America: Brave New World’s RT Score
Captain America 4’s low critical score is another disappointment for a franchise that’s losing steam. WhileDeadpool & Wolverinewas a massive hit, audiences are still waiting for another MCU project that recaptures the glory of the Infinity Saga, and it looks like audiences will have to keep waiting. Whether they liked the film or not, many critics agree that the film fell victim to reshoots and an overstuffed script as the MCU abruptly pivotsfrom Kang to Doctor DoombeforeAvengers: Doomsday.
Marvel’s Doctor Doom Announcement Hurts The Lowest-Rated MCU Movie On Rotten Tomatoes Even More
Robert Downey Jr’s return as Doctor Doom changes the MCU’s Multiverse Saga, but it also makes Marvel’s recent critical flop even worse.
It’s too early to tell if the underwhelming reviews will hurt the film’s box office, but based on recent MCU trends, it’s not a good sign. Fortunately,Brave New Worldis one of the cheaper Marvel films, with a $180 million production budget before marketing. Marvel doesn’t need a record-breaking performance to make its money back. IfCaptain America: Brave New Worldisn’t a hit with audiences, Marvel still hasThunderbolts*andThe Fantastic Four: First Stepsto win them back this year.
