The result came in at the high end of expectations for "Captain Marvel," and ranks as one of Marvel's most successful character debuts. Only "The Avengers" movies, "Black Panther," ''Captain America: Civil War" and "Iron Man 3" have opened better in the Marvel cinematic universe.
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The Brie Larson-starring Disney release also notched the sixth largest worldwide debut ever.
It was easily the best opening of any movie in 2019. Through March 3, ticket sales were down 26 percent according to Comscore.
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Last week's top film, "How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World," slid to a distant second place in its third weekend of release with $14.7 million.
Set in the 1990s, "Captain Marvel" details a previously unseen period in the history of the MCU. It follows Carol Danvers (Larson) as she becomes one of the universe's most powerful heroes. When a galactic war between two alien races reaches Earth, Danvers finds herself and her allies at the center of it all.
The film also stars Jude Law, Annette Bening, Ben Mendelsohn, Clark Gregg, Gemma Chan, and Samuel L. Jackson as a younger Nick Fury.
VIDEO: 'Captain Marvel' stars trained hard to become superheroes, otherworldly beings
'Captain Marvel' stars trained hard to become superheroes, otherworldly beings
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
The Walt Disney Company is the parent company of Marvel and this station.