Summary
Thunderbolts*isn’t waiting for its third weekend in theaters before showing who’s boss to another MCU ensemble,Eternals. In less than three weeks, the latter’s entire domestic run is now beneath the former’s.
Thunderbolts*—orThe New Avengersas Marvel Studios now calls it—opened with $76 million across three days in North America, on the higher end of $70-$75 million projections. It’s a debut on par withShang-Chi and the Ten Rings($75 million) andEternals($71 million), both laden with mid-tier characters. However,Thunderbolts*is still the lowest ever summer kick-off for an MCU movie—Iron Mandid $98 million during the same period 17 years ago—and the second-lowest ever in the franchise when adjusted for inflation.
Thunderbolts*Grossed $1.2 Million on Its Third Thursday
This Figure Ranks High In The MCU, But Thunderbolts* Might Not Reach the Promised Land
According to box office analystLuiz Fernando on X—corroborated byBox Office Mojo—Thunderboltsfinished its third Thursday with $1.2 million in North America, a respectable -44.7% drop from the previous Thursday. This brings its domestic cume past $164 million, more than what theEternalsmanaged to make in its twelve-week theatrical run. On Wednesday,Thunderboltsposted an even stronger $1.5 million, the joint-fourth best in the MCU (tied withCaptain America: The First Avenger).
2008
$1.8 million/ -42%
2021
$1.6 million / +19.%
2015
$1.5 million / -44%
2011
$1.4 million / -48%
Shang Chi and the Legend of Ten Rings
$1.3 million / -48%
$1.3 million / -44%
2025
$1.2 million / -44%
$997,000 / -53%
$946,000 / -56%
$933,000 / -38%
ThatThunderbolts* made this figure despite stiff competition fromSinners,Final Destination: Bloodlines,andLilo and Stitch,and losing an additional 370 theaters should be no surprise. Positive word-of-mouth, backed by a. 90% Rotten Tomatoes rating (among the highest in the MCU) and an A- on CinemaScore, ensured thatThe New Avengers’staying power is better than the MCU average.
Sadly, the arrival ofLilo and Stitchand Mission: Impossible —The Final Reckoningmeans that any hope of reaching $200 million in the U.S. is looking less plausible. Maxing out just shy of that threshold would also mean that it ranks below the$200.5 million ofCaptain America: Brave New World, a film many regard as a flop by MCU naysayers. It’s true that the franchise has seen better days commercially; it’s also true that Kevin Feige and his crew never dreamed of their latest outing of ragtag, B- and C-list characters making past, say, $700 million.
Globally, the picture is worse forMarvel’s analogue of DC’s Suicide Squad. At a $331 million gross against a $180 million production budget, merely breaking even—going by Hollywood mathematics of a 2.5x production budget multiplier—is now a big IF for this film.
