'Captain America: Civil War' - Movie Review Round Up: Film Off to a Positive Start with Box Office Figures Strong Domestically and Internationally
The wait for Anthony and Joe Russo's latest superhero film, "Captain America: Civil War," was surrounded by a deafening buzz long before the movie was released in theaters. Select early viewing had created a ravening expectation among Marvel superhero fans for this latest stand-alone Captain America iteration, the third in the series and the 13th in Marvel's cinematic universe.
First reactions from critics after an early screening were almost unanimously raving over the Captain America sequel, with a surprising evaluation, not of Cap, but of Spider-Man (Tom Holland). This is what some of the critics had to say early on.
Germain Lussier, an authority on pop culture art and reporter for @Gizmodo and @io9, said of "Captain America: Civil War" in his tweet April 8, "Captain America: Civil War is a complex mystery posing a big, fun superhero film. Lots of themes and emotions. Very unexpected & VERY good."
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And he followed it up with a next-day post, "…Spidey is AMAZING. Made me smile & laugh till my face hurt."
Devin Faraci, another film critic and reporter, also went on social media to say that the film had the "perfect Spider-Man." He also went on to praise Chadwick Boseman's take on Black Panther as being "incredible."
The Editor-in-Chief of @screencrushnews and Townsquare Media, Mike Sampson, also pointed out in his tweet, "The big battle scene in #CivilWar is an absolute blast. Spider-Man, as you'd expect, steals the show. Ant-Man, as you might not, a close 2nd."
Empire referred to the film as "the ultimate Marvel superhero event" and "Marvel Studios' finest film yet."
More than one critic made a comparison between "Civil War" and "Batman vs Superman," including Screencrush, "If the idea of watching even more superheroes punch each other after Batman vs. Superman feels like a chore, let me assure you this film could not be more dissimilar …"
Some pointed out that the film may have been "slightly overlong," but was "insightful" and "above all else, fun."
The Box Office
Its critical acclaim had it pegged for an opening weekend gross of $175 million-plus-going-on-$200 million at the North American Box Office. When it opened last week in the international box office, "Civil War" performed really well in South Korea ($35.2 million), the United Kingdom ($31.8 million), and Mexico ($25.6 million), to mention a few. It kicked off at $14.9 million, reaching $200.2 million by the end of the week, and going on to rack up $261.6 million early this week. By Wednesday, it made another $20.1 million, with an updated total of $291.2 million. And that on a film budget of $250 million.
In the domestic box office, however, Thursday's previews brought in $25 million, just a little bit behind the $27.6 million raked in by "Avengers: Age of Ultron." A little way back, "Batman vs Superman: Dawn of Justice" opened to $27.7 million. The two earlier films went on to gross a little over $80 million on the Friday of opening week. Depending on Saturday and Sunday viewing, this Marvel/Disney blockbuster may top the predicted $200 million take in the domestic box office.
Post-domestic-screening, critics continued to sing praises for "Civil War," saying that, despite running for 146 minutes, it was "gargantuan, but never overstuffed."
A scene on the film was dubbed as having the "best action in movie history."
"To say that the first battle between all of our superheroes in Captain America: Civil War is the best action sequence Marvel Studios has ever created is not hyperbole or grandstanding."
As this hit continues to bring in big numbers, perhaps the most telling reason why audiences seek to catch "Captain America: Civil War" is because it reminds people why they love superheroes.
