Acclaimed video game auteur Hideo Kojima’s public confusion about Captain America: Brave New World has reignited the debate about Marvel Studios’ increasingly complex narrative strategy linking theatrical releases with streaming television series. After viewing the film in IMAX, the creator behind Metal Gear Solid and Death Stranding expressed significant difficulty following key plot elements, particularly those tied to Sam Wilson’s (Anthony Mackie) journey to becoming Captain America and the current state of the Avengers team. His comments arrive as the film faces serious box office challenges, having dropped 68% in its second weekend to earn just $28.3 million domestically, bringing its worldwide total to $289.4 million against a $180 million production budget.
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Following his IMAX viewing, Kojima expressed his confusion on X: “I vaguely remember Sam receiving the shield in Endgame, but when did he officially become Cap? Is it because I haven’t seen The Falcon and the Winter Soldier?” His pointed observations about requiring knowledge from The Falcon and the Winter Soldier to fully understand Brave New World touch upon a persistent criticism of Marvel’s recent releases. While Sam Wilson’s inheritance of Captain America’s shield occurred in Avengers: Endgame, crucial character development for supporting players like Joaquin Torres (Danny Ramirez) and Isaiah Bradley (Carl Lumbly) happened primarily in the Disney+ series. This narrative structure has created potential barriers for viewers who haven’t followed Marvel’s streaming content, similar to how Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness relied heavily on plot points from WandaVision and The Marvels continued story threads from Ms. Marvel.
[RELATED: Everything We Know About the MCU After Captain America: Brave New World]
The irony of Kojima – renowned for crafting convoluted narratives in games – getting lost in Marvel’s storytelling web hasn’t escaped notice. However, his critique emphasizes Marvel’s current release strategy increasingly requires audience engagement across multiple platforms and formats to fully appreciate their theatrical releases. This multi-platform dependency represents a significant shift from the studio’s earlier phases, where films remained largely accessible to casual viewers while still rewarding dedicated fans with deeper connections. Unsurprisingly, Captain America: Brave New World is struggling to break even.
Captain America: Brave New World Keeps Struggling at the Box Office
The accessibility concerns highlighted by Kojima appear to be impacting Brave New World‘s commercial performance. The film’s 68% second-weekend decline places it among the MCU’s steepest drops, trailing only The Marvels (78%) and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (70%) in terms of percentage decrease. These numbers become particularly concerning when considering the film’s $180 million production budget, which, while lower than recent Marvel entries like Quantumania ($388.4 million) and The Marvels ($270 million), still requires significant box office returns to achieve profitability.
Brave New World needs to reach a minimum of $450-500 million globally to break even when accounting for marketing costs and theater revenue splits. This target grows increasingly challenging as the film struggles to maintain momentum, despite positive reviews for Harrison Ford’s performance as President Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross and Giancarlo Esposito’s portrayal of Sidewinder. The film’s B- CinemaScore matches the franchise’s lowest audience rating, suggesting word-of-mouth may continue to impact its commercial prospects in the coming weeks.
While Brave New World faces limited competition until Bong Joon-ho’s Mickey 17 arrives in March, its box office trajectory raises significant questions about Marvel’s theatrical future. As Marvel Studios prepares for upcoming releases like Thunderbolts and Fantastic Four: First Steps, finding a balance between maintaining their interconnected universe and ensuring theatrical releases remain accessible to casual viewers becomes increasingly crucial for sustained box office success.
Captain America: Brave New World is now playing in theaters worldwide.
Do you agree with Hideo Kojima’s criticism of Captain America: Brave New World? Join the discussion in the comments!
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Image courtesy of Marvel Studios -
Image Courtesy of Marvel Studios
