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Well, it could've been worse.

Unsurprisingly, Captain America: Brave New World easily topped the box office with almost $200 million worldwide, even though its long-term prospects aren't looking good. Paddington in Peru also made its debut in the States, delivering a very solid debut.

The Chinese film Ne Zha 2 also debuted in the States, delivering the best numbers for a Chinese film in 20 years. But the bigger story was in its home country; with $1.7 billion in the bank, the film has officially passed Inside Out 2 to become the biggest animated film worldwide.

The Top 10 earned a combined $165.4 million this weekend. That's up a colossal 100% from last year, when Bob Marley: One Love got high, and Madame Web hit rock bottom.

Debuting at #1, Captain America: Brave New World earned $89.8 million ($101 million four-day) in 4,105 theaters. Those numbers are obviously below Civil War ($179.1 million), but they're also below Winter Soldier ($95 million) despite 11 years of inflation. They're also below Quantumania ($106.1 million), which also opened on this date two years ago.

Generally speaking, this is an okay (but not great) debut. Having Anthony Mackie take the mantle of Captain America was always going to be tricky, so a decrease from the past two films was expected. And hey, it worked; if the audience wasn't interested, the film wouldn't have opened to over $80 million.

To boost the film, Marvel decided to add Red Hulk to the mix and casting Harrison Ford (replacing the late William Hurt). The whole marketing relied on selling both Sam Wilson and Red Hulk; even before a first trailer came out, McDonald's already spoiled Red Hulk's appearance in their menus back in March 2024. Despite that incident, it built awareness for the film, and got people to give the film a chance.

According to Disney, 62% of the audience was male, and 49% was in the 18-34 demographic. Ford's presence clearly had an impact; 42% of the audience was 35 and over. It made this debut, despite scoring a very weak 50% on RT. It speaks volumes to Marvel's power that a film with mediocre response can open this high, but perhaps it's not a sign for its long-term prospects.

So why is this debut not considered great? Basically, it all comes down to the reception. Critics aren't fond of the film, but the audience even less so. Audiences gave Brave New World a poor "B–" on CinemaScore. That's not only the worst grade for an MCU film (even The Marvels and Quantumania got a "B"), but it's also below any DCEU film. That points to very poor word of mouth. Not surprising, considering the film relies on how much the average moviegoer remembers The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (if they ever watched it in the first place), and the fact that its centerpiece (Red Hulk) is far less than the marketing suggests.

So what's it gonna happen now? The one advantage is that competition is quite weak for the rest of the month, but the MCU has proven to be front-loaded. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever topped the box office for 5 weeks, had strong word of mouth and very weak competition, and it still finished with just a 2.50x multiplier. A proper comp should be Quantumania, given that it had similar reception and opened on the same date. That had poor legs (2.02x multiplier), which would give Brave New World a $181 million domestic run. We'll see with that second weekend drop.

Paddington in Peru debuted with $12.7 million this weekend ($16 million four-day). That's still below the original's $18.9 million debut, but above the second film's $11 million.

It's hard to ask for better numbers here. The Paddington franchise has always been an international-heavy one (this film has already made $100 million overseas). Just look at the pattern; America represented just 30.5% of the first film's global run, and the second just 17.0%. Not to mention that this franchise is now 10 years old. So by this point, either you're in or just don't care.

According to Sony, 52% of the audience was male and despite being marketed towards families, 32% of the audience was 25-34 (its biggest demo). They gave it a strong "A" on CinemaScore, which is the same grade as the previous films. With an empty corridor for family films, this should hold well. For now, a $50 million domestic total is likely for Paddington in Peru.

Boosted by its holiday and theme, Heart Eyes increased 19%, adding $9.8 million ($10.7 million four-day). That's one of the best holds for a wide release, but as mentioned, the holiday surely helped. The film has earned $22.4 million so far, and it should hit $30 million, even though its third weekend might see a larger-than-expected drop.

In fourth place, Dog Man eased 29% for a $9.7 million weekend ($13.3 million four-day). That's a recovery from its steep drop last week, although the holiday clearly boosted the weekend. For example, its Saturday was off a rough 49% from past Saturday. The film has amassed $70.4 million, but it's still up in the air if it will hit $100 million.

Ne Zha 2 debuted in 660 theaters, where it over-performed projections with $7.2 million ($8.3 million four-day). This is the biggest debut for a Chinese film in North America since Hero ($17 million) back in 2004. Depending on how long it stays in wide release, it could have a healthy long run. But needless to say, it's not like it needs America to be a success anyway.

Mufasa continues showing legs. The film increased 6%, grossing $2.4 million this weekend. That takes its domestic total to $240.8 million.

In seventh place, Love Hurts was helped by Valentine's Day. It eased 28%, adding $4.1 million this weekend ($4.7 million four-day). The film has earned a meager $12.1 million, and with the holiday over, it's set to drop like a rock.

Sony's One of Them Days also increased this weekend. It jumped 4%, adding $2.9 million this weekend ($3.3 million four-day). The film has amassed $43.9 million, and it's gonna finish with close to $50 domestically, which is damn great for an R-rated comedy.

Companion is nearing the end of its run. After its second weekend drop, the film lost 2,223 theaters this weekend. Nevertheless, it still dipped 39%, adding $1.8 million this weekend ($2 million four-day). The film has earned $19 million domestically, and with the holiday over, it's set for another heavy drop next weekend.

Rounding up the Top 10 was the Indian film Chhaava, which made $1.7 million ($2.1 million four-day) in 497 theaters.

Sony expanded Becoming Led Zeppelin into 1,039 theaters, although its wide release wasn't as strong as its exclusive IMAX run. It dipped 32%, adding $1.7 million this weekend.

OVERSEAS

Captain America: Brave New World was also the biggest film overseas. It debuted with $92.4 million, for a $193.4 million worldwide debut, although the overseas number is below the forecasts. The biggest debuts were in China ($10.5M), UK ($8.5M), Mexico ($6.6M), Korea ($5.6M) and France ($4.7M). Right now, all eyes are on the second weekend, for it will determine if the film can break even.

Well, Ne Zha 2 has made history. With $1.68 billion worldwide (basically just China), the film has passed Inside Out 2 to become the highest animated film ever. You know what's crazier? Maoyan is projecting the film to end with $2.16 billion in China, which, if it gets there, would make it the No. 5 movie ever globally. Fascinating.

Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy also made its global debut (unless you live in North America, where it was dumped on Peacock). The film debuted with $35.5 million in 70 markets, which is the biggest in the franchise. In the UK, it debuted with $14.2 million, which is a record for a rom-com. Other strong debuts were in Australia ($3.4M), Poland ($2.2M), Netherlands ($1.9M), and Spain ($1M). It will continue adding a few more markets, but you can take for certain that this is gonna be another profitable entry in the franchise.

Paddington in Peru added $7.3 million this weekend, and its worldwide total is now $131.8 million. The film still has Korea, Italy, Spain and Japan left.

Two Oscar contenders are hitting milestones. Both A Complete Unknown and Conclave have officially hit $100 million worldwide.

FILMS THAT ENDED THEIR RUN THIS WEEK

• Kraven the Hunter has ended its run with a pathetic $61.9 million worldwide, far below its $110 million budget. Despite some promise that J.C. Chandor's presence could elevate the film, the film actually had the worst word-of-mouth of any of Sony's desperate attempts to build a Spider-Man universe, that somehow lacks Spider-Man himself. Even with the holidays, it crashed and died very quickly. RIP Spider-Manless Spider-Man Universe. You won't be missed.

THIS WEEKEND

Even with Brave New World heading towards a steep drop, it doesn't have much competition for the top spot barring a last-minute surge.

The biggest release is Neon's new horror film The Monkey, the latest film from Osgood Perkins. Perkins struck gold with Longlegs back in the summer, and Neon is mounting a very efficient marketing campaign. With some weak titles so far, perhaps this could be the year's first breakout horror.

There's another smaller release, and that is The Unbreakable Boy, which stars… Zachary Levi. Considering he's coming off a huge losing streak, it's unlikely this can change things up.

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