'Captain America: Civil War' rockets to huge $180m debut

Disney and Marvel's Captain America: Civil War continues to do mighty business at the box office, earning an estimated $75.3 million Friday on its way to $180 million for its domestic debut-- the fifth best opening weekend ever, says the Hollywood Reporter.

 

The stellar tally from industry estimates gives the superhero film the eighth best opening day in history, just ahead of The Twilight Saga: New Moon ($72.7 million) and behind The Dark Knight Rises ($75.8 million).

 

The film, which centers on a disagreement that forces the Avengers to choose sides between Captain America/Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) and Iron Man/Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.), is expected to take at least the fifth best opening ever, jumping ahead of Iron Man 3's $174 million debut. It could even come closer to matching Avengers: Age of Ultron's huge $191 million opening from 2015 (Age of Ultron earned $84.4 million Friday).

 

Civil War, which features many Avengers stars including Downey Jr., Scarlett Johansson, Anthony Mackie and Jeremy Renner, has garnered strong reviews, currently holding a 91 percent fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes. It also earned a strong A overall CinemaScore (and A+ in several demos).

 

Directed by the Russo brothers, the film also introduces some new faces to the Marvel cinematic universe including Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman) and Spider-Man/Peter Parker (Tom Holland).

 

Civil War, which is kicking off the summer season, is also soldiering to big numbers overseas after beginning its rollout last weekend. It will easily surpass $300 million internationally.

 

Disney will take the No. 1 and No. 2 spots this weekend domestically with The Jungle Book set to place second in its fourth weekend out. It will earn another $23 million to bring its domestic tally to around $286 million.