Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)
The one who never gives up awakens.
During World War II, Steve Rogers is a sickly man from Brooklyn who's transformed into super-soldier Captain America to aid in the war effort. Rogers must stop the Red Skull – Adolf Hitler's ruthless head of weaponry, and the leader of an organization that intends to use a mysterious device of untold powers for world domination.
| Type | Movie |
|---|---|
| Released | 22 July 2011 |
| Genre | Action, Adventure, Science Fiction |
| Director | Joe Johnston |
| Starring | Chris Evans, Hayley Atwell and Sebastian Stan |
| Runtime | 124 min |
| Rated | PG-13 |
| Scores | Rotten Tomatoes 80% · Rotten Tomatoes (average) 7/10 · Metacritic 66/100 · TMDB users 7.0/10 |
| Budget | $140 million |
| Box office | $371 million worldwide |
Where to watch Captain America: The First Avenger
Captain America: The First Avenger is streaming on Disney+ ($15.99 a month) in the US. If that is the only reason to subscribe, one month of Disney+ is $15.99 at list price.
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What kind of watch this is
Joe Johnston directs a 124-minute World War II action film where a sickly Brooklyn man becomes a super-soldier. The tone is earnest, leaning into the comic book source material with a sincerity that can feel like a tonal whiplash against the later, grittier entries in the franchise. It is not subtle. The hook is the transformation itself, watching a rejected recruit become a symbol. If you want a war movie that feels like a living, breathing comic book page, this is the entry point. It is less about the battles and more about the myth.
What the critics said
Rotten Tomatoes sits at 80% approval as of July 2026, while Metacritic lands on 66. That 66, filed under generally favorable, tells you the consensus is polite but not rapturous. Roger Ebert appreciated the 1940s settings as a break from generic cityscapes. Karina Longworth saw a hokey exercise in franchise price gouging instead.
How it did with audiences
The film cost $140 million and took in $371 million worldwide. That includes $177 million from the United States. It opened at number 1 in North America with $25.7 million. As of its 2011 release, it was the third highest-grossing World War II movie, trailing only Saving Private Ryan and Pearl Harbor. On TMDB, users rate it 7 out of 10. For a war movie about a super-soldier, the math checks out.
What came next for the cast
Chris Evans went from Scott Pilgrim to leading three major Avengers films. Hayley Atwell traded The Duchess for similar roles. Sebastian Stan left Black Swan for Civil War. Tommy Lee Jones kept doing what he does. The timeline suggests momentum, not causation. Credits list what came next, not why.
If you liked this
TMDB's recommendations for people who watched Captain America: The First Avenger.
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Sources
- Captain America: The First Avenger on TMDB — synopsis, cast, ratings and recommendations
- Wikidata Q275120 — review scores, box office and awards (CC0)
- “Captain America: The First Avenger” on Wikipedia, by its contributors (history) — reception, audience figures and legacy, summarised and adapted here under CC BY-SA 4.0
- Where to watch and prices: Binge Boss, from TMDB watch-provider data (powered by JustWatch) and our own provider list
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