Sentry aside, the Thunderbolts might not be as strong as the Avengers, but that hasn't stopped them from showing up in a big way at the box-office.
Two weeks in, Thunderbolts* continues to top the international charts, grossing $272.2 million globally with an estimated $300 million in sight by the week's end.
Overall, however, week two's additional $33.1 million gross in the US and $34 million internationally represents a 44% box office drop from the launch weekend. That might sound like a lot, but it's a less significant drop than many other MCU movies have suffered as of late, including Captain America: Brave New World (54%), and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (54%).
Still, Thunderbolts* held onto the top spot across the vast majority of territories, aside from a few notable exceptions including Japan, Peru and also Mexico (where Sony's Karate Kid: Legends was released early).
The New Avengers, as they're otherwise known, topped the UK & Ireland box office after 10 days with a second weekend hold of £2.36 million ($3 million), bringing the movie up to a total of £11.64 million ($14.78 million). That means UK earnings have now overtaken China ($13.8 million), making us the biggest international market for Thunderbolts*.
That all sounds promising, but in the UK at least, this 53% drop pulls Thunderbolts* behind where Captain America: Brave New World was at this same point (with a gross of £13.2 million). And by all accounts, that sequel wasn't received as favourably.
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So what's going on? Let's delve into the numbers to explain whether Thunderbolts* has been a box-office hit or flop.
Has Thunderbolts* been a box-office hit or flop?
Disney spent a reported $180 million to make Thunderbolts* and another $100 million to market it, so they haven't quite recouped their costs just yet. But a global gross of $272.2 million puts them close, and it's still early days.
Don't be surprised if Thunderbolts* ends its theatrical run at around a $400 million+ worldwide finish. That might put it at the lower end of the MCU box-office earnings, but it's worth considering the context that it's a team-up movie made up of previously-supporting characters.
The title change (more on that in a bit) could ensure a longer run at the box office too, likely taking it past the higher-profile Captain America: Brave New World ($415 million to date).
For more context, Thunderbolts* topped the US box office with a $76 million opening in week one, which is way less than Deadpool & Wolverine ($211 million), but still more than Eternals ($71 million) and Ant-Man and The Wasp ($75 million) in the US.
Two weeks in, Thunderbolts* has already outgrossed The Marvels and The Incredible Hulk, which earned $199.7 million and $264.8 million respectively throughout their entire theatrical runs worldwide. Sometimes the bad guys do win, after all.
If that comes as a surprise, especially given how the Thunderbolts are mostly C-listers from other projects, bear in mind that the movie has enjoyed far better reviews and word-of-mouth.
With a Rotten Tomatoes score of 88% from critics and 94% with fans at the time of writing, Thunderbolts* will likely stick around on top longer than Captain America: Brave New World, which dropped off quicker than Falcon did in the ocean.
It will have to hold well to climb up the all-time rankings with Captain America: The First Avenger ($370.6 million), Black Widow ($379.8 million) and Eternals ($401.7 million) the next targets.
Marvel's savvy marketing has likely helped too, especially with the movie's highly-publicised name change. A few days after release, the studio revealed the meaning behind the asterisk that accompanied Thunderbolts* in the title, announcing that the movie will be referred to as New Avengers moving forward.
This spoiler directly ties into the end of the movie where the team are rebranded in the story itself. It's been a divisive move, with some arguing the reveal came too early before enough people had a chance to see the movie for themselves.
Either way, it's certainly a bold talking point, one Marvel has continued to build on by adding a copyright symbol to the social media bios for various Avengers pages online. That, of course, is inspired by the team's clash with Sam Wilson in the post-credit scene.
But in the real world, there's only one superhuman who currently threatens our New Avengers and that's Tom Cruise whose latest movie, Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning, will soon soar into cinemas on 21 May in the UK and two days later in the US.
That still gives Thunderbolts* another free week at the box office before cinemagoers might be more tempted by Tom Cruise's daredevil stunts than a bunch of antiheroes.
What does this mean for the MCU?
This ongoing dispute between Wilson's Avengers and the New Avengers will likely play a key role in Avengers: Doomsday, a movie which seems to star almost everyone who has ever appeared in the MCU.
Yet the big takeaway here is that less means more, at least if the success of Thunderbolts* is anything to go by.
Last week, Disney boss Bob Iger described Thunderbolts* as "the first and best example" of Marvel's new decision to prioritise quality over quantity. With fewer movies and shows in the pipeline, a new MCU project should hopefully feel like an event again rather than homework.
Still, it's too early to ascertain whether that actually holds true. Instead, what Thunderbolts* proves right now more than anything is a desire for the MCU movies of old where films could be enjoyed on their own terms. Sure, most of these characters first debuted elsewhere, but the wider multiversal shenanigans of recent years are stripped back here to tell a more grounded, human story where the character work shines through.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps will similarly hone in on that team dynamic this summer, although the Thunderbolts* credits scene has already revealed that the movie will indeed tie into the wider MCU towards the end, if not sooner.
After that, we're facing Avengers: Doomsday (1 May 2026), followed by Spider-Man: Brand New Day (31 July 2026) and Avengers: Secret Wars (7 May 2027), which, all combined, confirms the MCU won't be as grounded as Thunderbolts* was moving forward.
That's not to say these movies will fall short in terms of either quality or earnings. Now that Thunderbolts* has helped shift public perception more favourably again towards the MCU, such huge event movies of this stature are almost guaranteed to overperform, regardless of whether the storytelling fares as well.
Let's just hope this next stage of the MCU draws inspiration from the human, grounded elements of Thunderbolts* and not the muddled confusion of other recent efforts like Secret Invasion.
Otherwise the bad guys really will win.
Thunderbolts* is out now in cinemas.
After teaching in England and South Korea, David turned to writing in Germany, where he covered everything from superhero movies to the Berlin Film Festival.
In 2019, David moved to London to join Digital Spy, where he could indulge his love of comics, horror and LGBTQ+ storytelling as Deputy TV Editor, and later, as Acting TV Editor.
David has spoken on numerous LGBTQ+ panels to discuss queer representation and in 2020, he created the Rainbow Crew interview series, which celebrates LGBTQ+ talent on both sides of the camera via video content and longform reads.
Beyond that, David has interviewed all your faves, including Henry Cavill, Pedro Pascal, Olivia Colman, Patrick Stewart, Ncuti Gatwa, Jamie Dornan, Regina King, and more — not to mention countless Drag Race legends.
As a freelance entertainment journalist, David has bylines across a range of publications including Empire Online, Radio Times, INTO, Highsnobiety, Den of Geek, The Digital Fix and Sight & Sound.
