Thunderbolts* Approaches $280M Box Office Amid New Avengers Marketing Buzz

Thunderbolts* has shown impressive staying power at the box office, marking a robust second weekend for a Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) movie. The film has now amassed a global total of $272.2 million. The action-packed movie, led by Florence Pugh, earned an additional $33.1 million domestically and $34 million internationally, securing its position at the top of the box office charts for the second consecutive week. Notably, the movie experienced a mere -44% drop from its opening weekend, outperforming other MCU titles such as Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (-52%), Captain America: Brave New World (-54%), and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (-54%). To date, Thunderbolts* has raked in an estimated $128.5 million in the domestic market and $143.7 million from international audiences.

Marvel's marketing strategy for Thunderbolts* escalated last week, culminating in the official renaming of the film to New Avengers. Marvel cleverly intertwined the on-screen rivalry between Sam Wilson’s Avengers and the newly formed superhero team into real-world promotions. This move underscores Marvel's intent to maintain momentum for Thunderbolts* as the studio approaches the pivotal launch of Phase 6 with The Fantastic Four: First Steps in July.

According to Variety, Disney invested $180 million in producing Thunderbolts* and an additional $100 million in marketing efforts. For the film to achieve profitability in theaters, it must continue its strong performance globally.

Disney's CEO, Bob Iger, praised Thunderbolts* last week, labeling it as "the first and best example" of Marvel's renewed focus on quality rather than quantity.

Thunderbolts kicked off with a solid $76 million opening in the domestic market, surpassing Eternals ($71 million) and Ant-Man and the Wasp ($75 million), though falling short of typical MCU opening figures. Despite this, Thunderbolts is resonating well with both audiences and critics. IGN's review of Thunderbolts awarded it a 7/10, stating: "Thunderbolts has, like its sort-of-not-really antagonist, both a dark half and a light half. But only one of them is actually pretty great (hint: it’s the one that involves plumbing the depths of the characters’ worst memories)."

Disney is optimistic that positive word of mouth will propel Thunderbolts* to a more successful theatrical run compared to Captain America: Brave New World, which saw a sharp decline in box office performance. Recent years have been challenging for Marvel movies, with the notable exception of the billion-dollar success of Deadpool & Wolverine.

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Looking ahead to 2026, fans can anticipate the release of Avengers: Doomsday on May 1, followed by Spider-Man: Brand New Day on July 31. The excitement continues into 2027 with Avengers: Secret Wars slated for May 7.

Meanwhile, Sinners has reached a global box office total of $283.3 million, and A Minecraft Movie continues its impressive run, now at $909.6 million after six weekends.