Superhero film nabs 5th best opening

LOS ANGELES — What superhero fatigue? Disney and Marvel’s Captain America: Civil War, the 13th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, has strongarmed its way to becoming the fifth-highest domestic opening ever according to com-Score estimates Sunday.

The film grossed a massive $179.1 million US last weekend, bumping Iron Man 3 out of the top five all time debuts. Civil War now ranks right below Marvel’s The Avengers and Avengers: Age of Ultron, which hold the thirdand fourth-place spots.

It’s nearly double the opening of the previous Captain America film, The Winter Soldier, which opened to $95 million in April 2014, but that is at least partially attributable to the fact that Civil War is basically an Avengers movie in disguise.

Directed by Joe and Anthony Russo, Civil War sees an ideological showdown between Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) and Captain America (Chris Evans) and is packed to the brim with Avengers old and new. It’s been very well-received by critics and, now, audiences, who gave the film a promising “A” Cinema-Score, which should bode well for the film’s longevity. Audiences were 59 per cent male and mostly adults. Teens made up only 11 per cent of the audience.

After a $75 million first day, the opening was right in line with expectations, and according to com-Score senior media analyst Paul Dergarabedian, is well on its way to becoming a $1-billion movie.

Civil War cost a hefty $250 million to produce, but has already far-surpassed that, thanks to a healthy international debut last weekend and a big bump from China this weekend. The movie has earned $673 million globally to date.

Civil War ended the three week first-place run of Disney’s The Jungle Book, which came in second with $21.9 million US.