The latest addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck-directed Captain Marvel, has come through with an exceptional box office outing. The film, which opened on Friday March 8th, has already grossed $455 million worldwide, with an estimated haul of $153 million in North America alone. With a budget of $152 million, the film has already recouped, and looks to be one of the year's most profitable flicks thus far. The North American tally surpasses those suggested by analysts by a fair margin, and the Chinese opening brought in an additional $89 million.
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The idea that a Marvel film is a box-office juggernaut is nothing surprising, given a) the MCU's track record and b) Captain Marvel's direct correlation to the upcoming Avengers: Endgame. Yet the pre-release of Captain Marvel has been rife with controversy, with "fake reviews" on both sides plaguing the film's critical integrity. It seems likely that many felt drawn to the film's societal benchmarks, being the first female-led Marvel movie, as well as the first to feature a female director. Conversely, it's possible that the same benchmarks drew increased vitriol from the other side, who questioned star Brie Larson's apparent dismissive nature during a press run.
Is Captain Marvel destined to be a film in which objectivity is benched in favor of stance-taking? The jury is still out. Perhaps the wisest course of action is to see the film and judge its merits for yourself. Have you seen Captain Marvel yet?