MANILA, March 31, 2014 – The patriotic superhero led the Philippine box office to victory as Marvel’s “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” opened at No.1 with a nationwide, five-day opening weekend gross of a staggering P155.51-million.
This according to Victor R. Cabrera, Managing Director of Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures Philippines which distributed the film.
Propelled by through-the-roof, positive reviews from critics and excellent word-of-mouth, the record-breaking bow claimed the biggest opening weekend for the year for a foreign title (dethroning “300: Rise of an Empire”) as well as the biggest March opening ever in the industry.
The debut of “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” also glaringly surpassed the openings of previous Marvel titles, specifically its predecessor, 2011’s “Captain America: The First Avenger” (P90.8-M), 2010’s “Iron Man 2” (P104.9-M) and 2011’s “Thor” (P59.5-M).
Overseas, “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” grossed a stellar $75.2 million from 32 territories (incuding UK, France, Germany, Italy, Korea and the Philippines), representing approximately 57% of the overseas market place. By comparison, the original “Captain America” grossed only $40 million from the same group of countries in 2011. The film opens in the U.S. and North America on April 4.
Back in the Philippines, “The Winter Soldier” rolled out in 453 screens, including 8 IMAX theaters. The SM Group claimed the three biggest opening receipts, led by SM North EDSA (P8.41-M), SM Mall of Asia (P8.33-M), SM Megamall (P7.62-M).
The top four to ten slots are occupied by Trinoma (P5.16-M), Glorietta 4 (P4.90-M), SM Cebu (P4.36-M), Alabang Town Center (P3.96-M), Greenbelt 3 (P3.87-M), Power Plant (P3.79-M) and Greenhills Promenade (P3.70-M).
Rounding out the top 11 to 20 rankings were SM Aura (P3.63-M), Newport (P3.39-M), SM Southmall (P2.83-M), Shang Cineplex (P2.72-M), Robinsons Magnolia (P2.543-M), Gateway (P2.541-M), Eastwood (P2.53-M), Ayala Cebu (P2.46-M), SM Fairview (P2.34-M) and SM Marikina (P2.15-M).
Marvel’s “Captain America: The Winter Soldier,” which continues the big screen adventures of Steve Rogers aka Captain America, picks up after the cataclysmic events in New York with The Avengers, and finds Steve Rogers living quietly in Washington, D.C., and trying to adjust to the modern world.
But when a S.H.I.E.L.D. colleague comes under attack, Steve becomes embroiled in a web of intrigue and mystery that threatens to put the world at risk. Joining forces with Natasha Romanoff aka Black Widow, Captain America struggles to expose the ever-widening conspiracy while fighting off assailants sent to silence him at every turn. When the full scope of the villainous plot is revealed, Captain America and Black Widow enlist the help of a new ally, the Falcon. However, they soon find themselves up against an unexpected and formidable new enemy—the Winter Soldier.
Based on the ever-popular Marvel comic book series, first published in 1941, Marvel’s “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” returns Chris Evans as the iconic Super Hero character Steve Rogers/Captain America along with Scarlett Johansson as Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow, Sebastian Stan as Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier, Anthony Mackie as Sam Wilson/Falcon, Cobie Smulders as Agent Maria Hill, Frank Grillo as Brock Rumlow, Emily VanCamp as Agent 13, Hayley Atwell as Peggy Carter, with Academy Award® winner Robert Redford as Alexander Pierce, a senior leader within the S.H.I.E.L.D organization, and Samuel L. Jackson as S.H.I.E.L.D. director Nick Fury.
“Captain America: The Winter Soldier” is now playing across the Philippines and is distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures.
In addition to “Captain America: The Winter Soldier,” Marvel Studios will release a slate of films based on the Marvel characters including “Guardians of the Galaxy” on August 1, 2014; “Avengers: Age of Ultron” on May 1, 2015; and “Ant-Man” on July 17, 2015.