Box Office: ‘Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy’ Debuts to $35 Million Overseas, ‘Captain America: Brave New World’ Nears $200 Million Globally

Moviegoers are still mad about Bridget Jones.

“Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy,” the fourth installment in the love-struck franchise, opened solidly to $35.5 million from 71 markets at the international box office. Those ticket sales outshined “Sex and the City 2” as the biggest start for a romantic comedy in comparable overseas markets, according to distributor Universal Pictures. The film, starring Renée Zellweger as Bridget Jones, debuted on Peacock in the United States.

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The fourth “Bridget Jones” enjoyed the biggest start in the United Kingdom and Ireland with $14.8 million, followed by Australia with $3.3 million, and France (where Studio Canal is handling the rollout) with $3.3 million.

Though domestic cinema operators are disappointed that “Bridget” isn’t playing in U.S. theaters, the franchise has always been far bigger at the international box office. For 2001’s “Bridget Jones’s Diary” ($334 million globally), 2004’s “Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason” ($265 million globally) and 2016’s “Bridget Jones’s Baby” ($211 million), foreign ticket sales accounted for 79% to 89% of overall revenues.

Directed by Michael Morris, “Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy” follows the heroine as a widowed single mother who reenters the dating world and finds herself smitten with a younger man. Hugh Grant, Colin Firth, Emma Thompson and Leo Woodall round out the cast. The film carries a $50 million production budget.

Elsewhere at the international box office, “Captain America: Brave New World” towered above the competition with $92.4 million from 52 international markets. Disney’s Marvel adventure also flew to No. 1 in North America with $88.5 million over the traditional weekend and $100 million through the Presidents Day holiday on Monday. “Brave New World” is nearing the $200 million mark globally with $192.4 million in the bank after four days on the big screen. The film cost north of $180 million to produce and at least $100 million to promote.

In “Captain America: Brave New World,” Anthony Mackie takes up the star-spangled shield after Chris Evans retired from playing Cap in 2019’s “Avengers: Endgame.” China was the biggest overseas market with $10.5 million, though the film was trounced by local-language title “Ne Zha 2,” which has become the highest-grossing release in the country’s history with $1.1 billion and counting. Other top territories for “Captain America” include the United Kingdom with $8.5 million, Mexico with $6.6 million and Korea with $5.6 million.

Between “Captain America: Brave New World” and “Ne Zha 2,” Imax notched a near-record Presidents Day weekend with $43 million. It’s the second-biggest Presidents Day haul for the company after 2018, when the Chinese New Year coincided with “Black Panther” to deliver a mighty $52.3 million.

“Brave New World” launched in Imax with $18 million from 1,500 premium screens across the globe through Monday. Meanwhile “Ne Zha 2” added another $22 million over the weekend solely from Imax screens in China, boosting its haul in the territory to $104 million. The animated sequel is now the highest-grossing Imax release in China, surpassing “Avengers: Endgame” ($83.5 million).

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