“Captain America: Civil War” is gearing up for gearing up for global domination.
Pre-release tracking for foreign debuts can be spotty, but estimates suggest that the superhero sequel could rack up roughly $200 million overseas after its first five days in theaters. The film will have opened in roughly 63% of the foreign marketplace by Sunday, including such major territories as France, Korea, Brazil, Australia, Mexico, Japan, the Philippines and the U.K. It starts rolling out on Wednesday.
An opening of that size would put it in line with the foreign launches of “Avengers: Age of Ultron” ($212 million) and “Iron Man 3” ($160 million). It dwarfs the last film featuring the star-spangled hero, 2014’s “Captain America: The Winter Soldier,” which opened to $78 million overseas. However, this “Captain America” plays more like an “Avengers” film, broadening its appeal with foreign audiences, who might find the title character jingoistic.
It features Robert Downey Jr.’s Iron Man and introduces Chadwick Boseman’s Black Panther, as well as previews Tom Holland’s new spin on Spider-Man. Chris Evans returns as the title character with the “Winter Soldier” directorial team of Joe and Anthony Russo sliding back behind the camera. The film finds the heroes split into factions over a government plan to register those with superpowers. Captain America heads up one team opposed to the initiative, while Iron Man commandeers another that is supportive of the bureaucratic oversight.
“Captain America: Civil War” hits theaters stateside on May 6, with some analysts estimating it could score a $200 million launch. Tracking suggests it should have no trouble hitting $175 million, making it one of the five biggest openings in history. It will also open in China, Russia, Italy and India in that time frame, which should boost revenues.
Reviews for the film have been sterling, and it currently enjoys a 97% “fresh” rating on Rotten Tomatoes, making it one of the best critically received Marvel Studios releases ever. Disney, Marvel’s parent company, is off to a torrid start at the box office. This year it has already fielded “Zootopia” and “The Jungle Book,” two films that have a chance at hitting $1 billion in receipts.
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