Disney Studios has broken another earnings record and “Captain America” helped make it happen.
The latest in the movie series, “Captain America: Civil War,” opened nationwide in the United States on May 6. On May 7, ticket sales for the film pushed Disney over the $1 billion mark for 2016 in the United States.
It was 128 days into 2016. Disney broke the record set last year by Universal Studios. It sold its first billion dollars’ worth of tickets in 165 days.
Universal’s sales came from new films in popular movie series like Jurassic Park, Fast and Furious and Despicable Me.
This year, two other Disney movies, “The Jungle Book” and “Zootopia,” have earned more than $500 million between them. The critics have mostly praised them.
Reviews are also mostly favorable for “Captain America: Civil War.” The Avengers superhero group finds itself divided in this latest film. The crime fighters are working to stop a terrorist operation in Nigeria. But they mistakenly kill civilians in their effort. The United Nations decides to order measures to more closely supervise the crime fighters.
That issue leads to a dispute among the superheroes.
Captain America, played by Chris Evans, is on the side of independence from the U.N. His friend, Iron Man Tony Stork, disagrees.
Chris Evans explains the importance of the plot device.
“It’s not enemy vs. hero, villain vs. hero. It’s friends. It’s family. This is sometimes the most dramatic conflict — when it’s people that have a history and care about each other."
The movie raises timely questions: Who polices the police? What is the right amount of governmental supervision over those who fight the war against terror? Who should order military intervention?
The filmmakers have put superheroes into a real human situation.
Joe Russo is a co-director of "Captain America: Civil War.”
"It’s very complicated and hard to decide who’s right and who’s wrong.”
Actor Robert Downey Jr. again returns to the series to play Tony Stark. Also back are actors Scarlett Johansson as Natasha Romanoff, the Black Widow; and Don Cheadle as Lieutenant James Rhodes, the War Machine.
I’m Dorothy Gundy.
Caty Weaver wrote this report for Learning English with additional information from VOA movie reporter Penelope Poulou. Ashley Thompson was the editor.
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Words in This Story
superhero - n. a fictional character who has amazing powers (such as the ability to fly)
plot - n. a series of events that form the story in a novel, movie, etc.
villain - n. a character in a story, movie, etc., who does bad things
dramatic - adj. greatly affecting people's emotions