“Captain America: Civil War” Dominates First Summer Weekend

TOP 5

Captain America: Civil War had a heroic opening, taking in an estimated $181.7 million. That's the third-biggest Marvel opening behind both Avengers movies. That's more than any single Avenger outing's debut. Heck, that's even more than Captain America's first movie made in its entire run back in 2011. And, more important to some people, that's more than Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Reviews were insanely good with both critics and audiences, so expect this to be one of the biggest hits of the year, if not the biggest.

The Jungle Book still held exceptionally well against the year's biggest movie. Dropping only 50 percent – its biggest drop yet – it's still on pace for $325 million, and could be one of several movies to make more than $1 billion worldwide. Mother's Day actually gained over the titular holiday weekend. It's now made around $20 million, but this will still go down as one of the highest-profile flops of the year, even if it didn't cost as much as the No. 4 movie.

Yes, The Huntsman: Winter's War will go down as a major loss Universal, which is disappointing considering 2015 was their best year ever. They still haven't had any movies cross $100 million so far this year. Keanu also fell, but it only cost a fraction of Winter's War, so it will surely recoup its investment.

Outside the top 5:

• This Weekend's Indie Champ: A Bigger Splash, a freaky comedy with Tilda Swinton and Ralph Fiennes. It averaged $22,000 on only five screens.
• I knew it was only a matter of time. Zootopia has now overtaken Batman v Superman as the second-biggest movie of the year. The animated hit is also on track for $1 billion internationally.
• Adding 51 screens made a difference. The Family Fang went up to 52 screens and saw its gross rise a staggering 623 percent. The $2,017 average isn't spectacular, but there's a chance it becomes an independent hit, especially when you factor in VOD.

Next week: The only major releases are cheap horror flick The Darkness and Money Monster, starring Julia Roberts and George Clooney. That's more likely to do better with older audiences, so don't expect it to make a dent in Civil War. That movie will stay on top with around $90 million.