Captain America: Brave New World Becomes A Google TV Streaming Hit

1 week ago 13

Anthony Mackie as Sam Wilson in Captain America Brave New World

Jordan Iacobucci has been an avid reader and movie fan since childhood. Jordan is known among his friends as the Marvel and Star Wars nerd, and even wrote a thirty-page college dissertation about Spider-Man! He has been a staff writer at both Screen Rant and CBR, where he enjoys sharing his love for pop culture with the world.

One of 2025's most underrated superhero movies may not have gotten the attention it deserved at the box office, but it has quietly become a streaming sensation. Nearly a year after it first hit theaters, Captain America: Brave New World is dominating the streaming charts and proving itself a much bigger hit than anyone gave it credit for.

Captain America: Brave New World is the latest streaming sensation from the Marvel Cinematic Universe. According to data from FlixPatrol, the 2025 superhero film is currently the tenth most popular movie on Google TV, where it is available for rent or purchase. These numbers include international territories, where the film has experienced newfound popularity. Brave New World has also done well on domestic streaming charts, where it is available on Disney+ and Hulu. It is the thirteenth most popular movie on Disney+ for the year.

The 2025 Marvel Cinematic Universe film stars Anthony Mackie as Sam Wilson, who strives to earn the title of Captain America after inheriting it from Steve Rogers in Avengers: Endgame. In the film, he must contend with multiple obstacles, including the antagonistic new President of the United States, Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross (Harrison Ford), a terrorist group led by Sidewinder (Giancarlo Esposito), and the villainous Leader (Tim Blake Nelson). Captain America: Brave New World is the fourth Captain America film and the 35th film overall in the MCU.

Captain America: Brave New World's streaming success is great news for the Captain America sequel, which opened in February 2025 to middling reviews. Critics on Rotten Tomatoes gave the film a less-than-ideal 46% approval rating, lower than any other installment in the Captain America franchise by at least thirty-four percentage points. The subpar reviews most likely resulted in Captain America: Brave New World's disappointing box office haul of $415 million against a budget of almost $200 million. This, however, is higher than fellow 2025 MCU offering Thunderbolts*, which received better reviews. It was, however, beat out by The Fantastic Four: First Steps.

The renewed streaming success of Captain America: Brave New World suggests that the film is much more popular among MCU fans than it initially seemed. This falls in line with fan reactions in the months since Brave New World first hit theaters. While the initial wave of reviews was negative, many fans came out in defense of the film after repeated viewings. This resulted in a much higher audience score on Rotten Tomatoes with a Popcornmeter of 75%, twenty-nine points higher than the critic rating.

Captain America: Brave New World Deserves a Critical Reassessment

Captain America: Brave New World doesn't deserve the hate it got from critics and some fans upon its release. Currently, it is one of only three MCU movies to be designated "Rotten" on Rotten Tomatoes (the other two being Eternals and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania). While it is far from the best that the MCU has to offer, Captain America: Brave New World is much better than some viewers are willing to give it credit for.

The strongest part of Brave New World is its main character. Sam Wilson's storyline in the Multiverse Saga is extremely underrated, as he works to earn the mantle of Captain America, paying homage to Steve Rogers while still making the mantle his own. Sam's battles with self-doubt, public scrutiny, and complex morality are all compelling throughout his arcs in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier and Brave New World. While the intricate moving parts of the film's story may leave some viewers scratching their heads, Sam's storyline therein is strong all the way through.

Captain America 4 also features a strong performance from Harrison Ford as President Ross. The veteran actor gives the character his all, capturing the complex psyche of a man who genuinely wants to do the right thing, but is burdened by his past actions. His transformation into the Red Hulk is a genuinely terrifying moment, and his final battle with Captain America in Washington, D.C. is surprisingly fun.

Captain America: Brave New World isn't without its faults. The film does feel stitched together from various reshoots and story changes made late in the production phase. Certain visual effects don't hold up, and some story beats feel unearned, yet the film makes for a reliably fun viewing experience. As imperfect as it is, Captain America: Brave New World doesn't deserve the malignment it received upon its release. Now that it is a streaming sensation, the Captain America sequel will hopefully get the credit that it so richly deserves.

Captain America: Brave New World is streaming on Disney+ and Hulu.