MCU “Thunderbolts” Fails to Bullseye the Box Office as “Sinners” Becomes a Hit!

The numbers are in, and (unfortunately) as expected, Thunderbolts failed to strike it big at the box office, adding yet another disappointing theatrical chapter to the recent MCU releases.

The situation with Thunderbolts is understandably frustrating for MCU fans. A well-written movie not performing well at the box office is always annoying. I watched the latest MCU romp yesterday, and I enjoyed it. In my opinion, Thunderbolts is one of the better MCU titles out there. It’s as if the writing team was given time to write an actual movie that had something to say, as the narrative focused on mental health, redemption, amongst other things.

However, even though I enjoyed it, the “critic” side of my brain couldn’t help but notice how small the movie came across. The cast included B and C-level characters, even by MCU standards. The finale didn’t have an intense action sequence and focused on the power of friendship to save the day. Frankly, Thunderbolts is a movie you can wait to watch on Digital. It’s definitely good and adds to the superhero genre storytelling. But you don’t have to see it on the big screen.

And I guess other people felt the same, judging by the box office performance with Thunderbolts getting an approximate $76 million opening against a reported production budget of $180 million. That’s lower than Captain America 4‘s opening weekend of around $88.5 million, and that movie went on to gross more than $414 million at the global box office (and still underperformed).

At least, Thunderbolts fared better with a 94% Audience and 88% Critic Score on Rotten Tomatoes. So, word of mouth could help give it some juice. However, I wouldn’t be surprised if Thunderbolts ends its run in the $400 million range. The current haul is more than $162 million.

And it’s not like Disney didn’t promote Thunderbolts. The cast did tons of interviews and appearances. The characters were part of the Avengers: Doomsday reveal to build hype. But still, the masses just don’t seem to care about B and C-tier characters (that are meant for streaming shows) as they continue to anxiously wait for movies starring the big guns.

I don’t think most people are even interested in the Fantastic Four. I feel the fandom wants the X-Men to be properly introduced to the MCU already. But yeah, let’s see how the Fantastic Four: First Steps live-action movie fares come July 25, 2025.

As for the highly enjoyable Sinners, it’s without a doubt a hit, gaining an estimated $33 million and bringing the global haul north of $236 million. The Ryan Coogler-directed historical vampire drama will see a return to IMAX screens on May 15, 2025, which will only help with making more money. Considering how awesome I found Sinners to be, I wish it all the success. Next up is getting award recognition!

May 2nd – May 4, 2025 Weekend Box Office:

1. Thunderbolts – $76 million
2. Sinners – $33 million
3. A Minecraft Movie – $13.7 million
4. The Accountant 2 – $9.4 million
5. Until Dawn – $3.8 million
6. The Amateur – $1.8 million
7. The King of Kings – $1.6 million
8. Warfare – $1.2 million
9. HIT the 3rd Case – $0.95 million
10. Guru Nanak Jahaz – $0.68 millon

Did you watch Thunderbolts? What did you think of it?

Let us know.

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(via Beyond the Trailer, Variety)

Author: Farid-ul-Haq

Farid has a Double Masters in Psychology and Biotechnology as well as an M.Phil in Molecular Genetics. He is the author of numerous books including Missing in Somerville, and The Game Master of Somerville. He gives us insight into comics, books, TV shows, anime/manga, video games, and movies.

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