Considering Marvel’s track record of success - and the near universal praise received by The Winter Soldier - it was less a question of whether Captain America: Civil War would make truckloads of money, and more of just how many truckloads it would make.
As of Friday, Civil War has now crossed the $800 million mark at the worldwide box office, and is now the third highest grossing film of the year in that respect. The two films currently above it on the worldwide chart are DC’s Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice and the animated kids’ film Zootopia.
For comparison’s sake, Civil War’s current exact total is $807.7 million worldwide, while Batman V Superman sits at $868.4 million, and Zootopia stands tall at $960.3 million. Based on projections, Civil War will likely surpass Batman V Superman’s number by the close of business this weekend, although Zootopia’s gross is going to take a little more time to beat. That said, if the current pattern holds, Civil War is quite likely to top the $1 billion mark worldwide by the end of its run. That would make it only the fourth Marvel Studios movie to reach that milestone, the others being The Avengers, Iron Man 3, and Avengers: Age of Ultron. Whether Civil War will actually outdo any of those three films’ final numbers remains to be seen, although topping Iron Man 3’s $1.2 billion figure might be within reach.
On the domestic side, Civil War currently sits at fifth place for 2016 with a $242.7 million haul. This puts it behind The Jungle Book at $298.1 million, BVS at $327.8 million, Zootopia at $329.6 million, and reigning champion Deadpool at $362.3 million. Claiming the top spot on this chart is a bit steeper of a hill of a climb, but it could definitely be done. Civil War is projected to bring in over $70 million domestically this weekend, vaulting it right over Jungle Book, and getting it close to both Batman V Superman and Zootopia. Assuming Civil War makes at least around $20 million domestically in week 3 - and it’ll probably make more than that - it then climbs over those two films as well. The big hurdle will be topping Deadpool, although it certainly might happen if Civil War spends a few more weeks in the box office top 10.
Just how high can Civil War fly? It’s too soon to tell, but it seems that the sky might not even be the limit for Marvel’s latest hit.
Captain America: Civil War is in theaters now. Doctor Strange opens November 4, 2016; Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 – May 5, 2017; Spider-Man: Homecoming – July 7, 2017; Thor: Ragnarok – November 3, 2017; Black Panther – February 16, 2018; Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 – May 4, 2018; Ant-Man and the Wasp – July 6, 2018; Captain Marvel – March 8, 2019; Avengers: Infinity War Part 2– May 3, 2019; and as-yet untitled Marvel movies on July 12, 2019, and on May 1, July 10, and November 6 in 2020.
Sources: ComicBook.com, Box Office Mojo
