Anthony Mackie’s first solo MCU outing isn’t soaring with critics as Captain America: Brave New World debuts with the third-lowest Rotten Tomatoes score in the franchise. Since Endgame, 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 a big hit with critics with ᴅᴇᴀᴅpool & Wolverine, the MCU may be taking a step back with its latest film.

Captain America: Brave New World debuts with a 48% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes out of 75 reviews. Its current score is only higher than Eternals (47%) and Ant-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 for Brave 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 from Captain America: Brave New World’s reviews could significantly impact its box office.

Captain America: Brave New World is projected to make between $85-$95 million domestically, and $190 million worldwide. Its low critic score likely won’t impact its opening weekend, but it could damage the film’s theatrical run, especially in its second weekend. Quantumania had a solid opening weekend but experienced a disastrous 69% drop in its second weekend. The same thing happened to The 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. While ᴅᴇᴀᴅpool & Wolverine was a mᴀssive 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 pivots from Kang to Doctor Doom before Avengers: Doomsday.

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 World is 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. If Captain America: Brave New World isn’t a hit with audiences, Marvel still has Thunderbolts* and The Fantastic Four: First Steps to win them back this year.

Source: Rotten Tomatoes

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  Captain America: Brave New World

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  February 14, 2025
  

  
  
  
  

  
  

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  Thunderbolts*

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  May 2, 2025
  

  
  
  
  

  
  

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  The Fantastic Four: First Steps

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  July 25, 2025
  

  
  
  
  

  
  

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  Avengers: Doomsday (2026)

  
  
  
  
  

  
  

  
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  Spider-Man Homecoming 4

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  July 24, 2026
  

  
  
  
  

  
  

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  Avengers: Secret Wars

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  May 7, 2027
  

  
  
  
  

  
  

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