Captain Marvel Broke Box Office Records With a $455 Million Opening Weekend

Abby Gardner
It's official: Marvel's first female-led superhero movie is a hit.

Marvel's first female-led superhero movie is officially a record-breaking success: Captain Marvel made a reported $153 million in its opening weekend, just in the U.S. alone. It brought in another $302 million internationally for a huge total of $455 million worldwide ticket sales, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The movie stars Brie Larson as Carol Danvers, a pilot who becomes Captain Marvel after she finds herself in the middle of an intergalactic war. It's also the first in the Marvel Cinematic Universe to have a woman behind the camera—codirector and writer Anna Boden.

Those numbers make Captain Marvel the biggest opening of 2019, as well as the first film to break the $100 million mark this year. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the global sales also make Captain Marvel the biggest launch for a female-fronted film ever and the second-largest superhero film behind Avengers: Infinity War. It's the sixth-best opening worldwide of all time.

Clearly, moviegoers were ready for a female superhero to take charge in her own piece of the franchise. This, along with the smashing success of Wonder Woman, should put an end to any doubts that female superheroes can't sell at the box office.

Fans took to social media to give their own mini reviews after seeing the film. "I saw Captain Marvel tonight," wrote one user. "I am such a fan of the @kellysue comics, and was KINDA nervous. Because SOMETIMES screen things aren't as good as paper things. BUT I LOVED IT. Truly. Madly. Deeply. #HigherFurtherFaster." Another said, "I just wanted to tell you that WE ARE SAFE NOW MISS CAPTAIN MARVEL IS HERE AND SHE IS GLOWING."

"#CaptainMarvel was good fun, and the backlash against it pre-release was ridiculous," said another user. "Go see it and support it—shouldn’t matter to whiny nerds what gender or race the lead in a Marvel movie is, it’s still a Marvel movie. Representation clearly matters."

Next up for Captain Marvel? She'll help take on Thanos when Avengers: Endgame opens on April 26.