Marvel is back at the box office for the first time in 2014 with Captain America: The Winter Soldier. The film stands a chance at beating the April debut record, as it is the only wide release of the weekend.
The Winter Soldier is the third film after Marvel’s coming out party, 2012’s The Avengers, and the studio is hoping to see revenue keep climbing. The Avengers effect was clear when Thor: The Dark World easily beat its predecessor at the box office, so The Winter Soldier is hoping to beat 2011’s The First Avenger.
The 2011 film, set during World War II, grossed $176.6 million, debuting with $65 million. Box Office Mojo is expecting Winter Soldier to easily top that, estimating a $98 million opening. That would easily beat the April debut record, set by Fast Five’s $86.2 million opening in 2011.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Winter Soldier is already the top-selling April release in Fandango’s history. MovieTickets.com has also said that the film is dominating ticket sales there. It’s also made a whopping $75.2 million in 32 markets overseas.
Entertainment Weekly isn’t predicting a steep drop for Paramount’s Noah. It will probably fall around 40 percent, with north of $25 million.
The rest of the Top 5 will be more holdovers. Divergent should be able to add around $11 million in its third weekend, while Muppets Most Wanted and Mr. Peabody & Sherman should be hanging around. The Grand Budapest Hotel will also be a strong contender in its second week of wide release.