LOS ANGELES - Disney and Marvel's "Captain America: Civil War" has strong-armed its way to becoming the fifth-highest domestic opening ever according to studio estimates Sunday.

The film grossed a massive $181.8 million this weekend, bumping "Iron Man 3" out of the top five all time debuts. "Civil War" now ranks right below "Marvel's The Avengers" and "Avengers: Age of Ultron."

The 13th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe sees an ideological showdown between Iron Man and Captain America, and has been very well-received by critics.

It cost a hefty $250 million to produce but has already far-surpassed that thanks to a healthy international debut last weekend and a big bump from China this weekend. In sum, the superhero showdown has earned $678.4 million globally to date.