One only has to look at the social media frenzy that followed the release of each new Captain Marvel trailer to know that there are a lot of people out there who are looking forward to Carol Danvers’ solo debut, and in a new report from Box Office Pro, we have an early indication of how this hype might translate into ticket sales.
Just under two months in advance of the film’s debut, the long-range tracking for Marvel’s next release puts the pic’s domestic opening weekend at $140-180 million. To put these figures into an MCU context, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 made a little higher than the minimum with its $146.5 million opening, and Captain America: Civil War’s first weekend brought in a little less than the maximum at $179.1 million. In other words, this forecast suggests a very bright future for Captain Marvel.
Among the reasons offered for this projection, the report points to high levels of anticipation for the MCU’s first female-led superhero movie, with the success of 2017’s Wonder Woman serving as precedent. The combination of Oscar-winner Brie Larson alongside franchise regulars like Samuel L. Jackson and Clark Gregg is also thought to have real commercial potential, while the film’s connections to Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame are thought to grant the movie a higher “must see” factor.
If you’re looking for evidence that’s a little more concrete, however, it’s worth noting that Captain Marvel is already the MCU’s third-biggest pre-seller on Fandango, falling behind only Infinity War and Black Panther, while also out-pacing every Marvel Studios feature in advance sales on Atom Tickets save for Infinity War. So far so good, but the real test comes when the film hits theaters on March 8th, 2019.
