 Captain America : The First Avenger opened on July 22 , 2011 , in the United States and earned $ 4 million in midnight showings , outgrossing other 2011 original superhero films like Thor and Green Lantern as well as the prequel X @-@ Men : First Class , which all made between $ 3 @.@ 25 million and $ 3 @.@ 5 million in Friday midnights . On Friday , the film opened at the number one spot at the American and Canadian box office with $ 25 @.@ 7 million . It then went on to make $ 65 @.@ 1 million in what was the second highest @-@ grossing opening weekend for a superhero film in 2011 , behind Thor ( $ 65 @.@ 7 million ) . Captain America : The First Avenger is the third highest @-@ grossing motion picture set during the World War II era , after Saving Private Ryan and Pearl Harbor . 
