Thunderbolts* Has Finally Beaten Another MCU Ensemble

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*— or The New Avengers as 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 with Shang-Chi and the Ten Rings ($75 million) and Eternals ($71 million), both laden with mid-tier characters. However, Thunderbolts* is still the lowest ever summer kick-off for an MCU movie—Iron Man did $98 million during the same period 17 years ago — and the second-lowest ever in the franchise when adjusted for inflation.

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By  Catherine Armecin Martin

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 analyst Luiz Fernando on X—corroborated by Box Office Mojo—Thunderbolts* finished 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 the Eternals managed to make in its twelve-week theatrical run. On Wednesday, Thunderbolts* posted an even stronger $1.5 million, the joint-fourth best in the MCU (tied with Captain America: The First Avenger).

MCU Films On Their Third Thursdays

That Thunderbolts* made this figure despite stiff competition from Sinners, Final Destination: Bloodlines, and Lilo 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 that The New Avengers’ staying power is better than the MCU average.

Sadly, the arrival of Lilo and Stitch and Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning means 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 of Captain 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 for Marvel’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.

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Thunderbolts*

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PG-13

Action

Science Fiction

Adventure

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Release Date

May 2, 2025

Runtime

127 minutes

Director

Jake Schreier

Writers

Eric Pearson, Joanna Calo

Producers

Kevin Feige

Franchise(s)

Marvel Cinematic Universe

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Cast

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  Florence Pugh

  Yelena Belova
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  Sebastian Stan

  Bucky Barnes

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Streaming

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Source: Luiz Fernando/X, Box Office Mojo