New Movies May 6: Civil War Arrives
by EG
The coming weekend belongs to Captain America: Civil War alone, as every other major studio has opted to stay well clear of the guaranteed blockbuster. That means the only competition for the Disney/Marvel tentpole will come from hold-overs, since there are no other major wide releases this week.
Civil War is set to be the biggest opening of the year so far, in a year that's already seen a relatively large number of big openings. Deadpool, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Zootopia and The Jungle Book have already set the bar high, but Civil is probably going to eclipse them all with ease. In fact, with some predictions putting the movie's opening weekend take in excess of $200 million, Civil War could flirt with the biggest opening weekend of all time, not just of 2016.
Civil War opened last week in many international markets, and ahead of its North American release, the movie has already earned more than $220 million. Online ticket seller Fandango also reports that Civil War has taken the record for best ticket pre-sales for a superhero movie, moving ahead of The Avengers, Avengers: Age of Ultron and Batman v Superman.
Last weekend's top newcomers, Keanu and Mother's Day, weren't even able to make it past the previous weekend's number-two movie, The Huntsman Winter's War, so they're likely to be lost in this weekend's superhero clamor entirely.