"What's the competition?": Fans sarcastically react as ‘Captain America: Brave New World’ stays #1 in the U.S. for three weeks

In a world where box office competition seems non-existent, 'Captain America: Brave New World' is having a great run. Not only did it claim the top spot during its opening weekend, but it's also stayed at #1 in the U.S. for three consecutive weeks.

“What’s the competition?” one user sarcastically quipped under a post celebrating the film’s latest milestone, and honestly, they might be onto something.

The new Cap flick, starring Anthony Mackie as Sam Wilson, seems to be breezing through Oscar season with no major challengers in sight—unless, of course, you count niche films. Despite divided critical reviews, the movie raked in millions, leaving fans and haters alike wondering just how it continues to thrive.

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Captain America: Brave New World holds the top spot for three weeks, and fans can't help but ask: who's it even competing against?

The internet wasted no time reacting to Captain America's unexpected box office dominance, particularly in a month typically reserved for highbrow cinema (read: Oscar season). Social media was buzzing with a mixture of understandable shock, amusement, and sarcasm. One user threw it back to the pre-release skepticism by tweeting,

“Remember when people said the movie will be flop 🤡?”

Another aimed at the seemingly barren movie landscape:

“What else is even out?”

And let’s be real, this user wasn’t exactly wrong. The field of competition has been light this year, with fewer blockbuster contenders. To hammer home the point, another tweet with a GIF of a woman joyously spinning in a meadow read:

“Against all this competition.”

This, of course, was met with the usual chorus of

“jajajajajaj 🤣🤣🤣.”

In true internet fashion, memes entered the chat. One fan posted a SpongeBob GIF, captioned

“Competition?,” followed by SpongeBob proudly declaring, "Nothing, that's right, nothing!"

The humor didn’t end there, as another user echoed the sentiment:

“Lol shame on the hater,” likely referring to the critics who critiqued Captain America.

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Background info: From the Box Office to critical reception

The movie has made over $250 million at home and is getting close to $600 million worldwide. Despite receiving mixed reviews, this chapter has proven to be a crowd-pleaser and further solidified Sam Wilson's rise to the position of Captain America. According to fans, early previews for the movie lacked the classic MCU energy, which led to initial scepticism.

Whether Sam Wilson's Captain America could be as popular as his predecessor, Steve Rogers (played by Chris Evans), was questioned by critics and fans alike. However, it appears that Anthony Mackie's debut as the star-spangled superhero was well received by the public.

'Brave New World' has remained strong at a slower, award-season-focused time, when high-budget superhero movies often dominate the box office.

This is no easy task. The Marvel movie rushed ahead despite a variety of smaller, more artistic films, leaving both casual and viewers with no option but to watch Sam Wilson's new chapter play out on the big screen. The film has, of course, received mixed reviews from critics. The narrative and pace were criticised more harshly, even though many people applauded the performances.

A lack of narrative depth and too predictable action scenes were noted by several reviewers. However, despite the criticism, the response from fans has been significantly more positive, with large crowds of people watching the movie.