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

Thunderbolts has demonstrated a robust performance at the box office, maintaining its lead for a second consecutive weekend and amassing a global total of $272.2 million. The film, starring Florence Pugh, added $33.1 million in the domestic market and $34 million internationally. This represents a solid -44% drop from its opening weekend, outperforming several other Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) films like 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 earned an estimated $128.5 million domestically and $143.7 million internationally.

Last week, Marvel intensified its marketing efforts for Thunderbolts*, even officially renaming the movie to New Avengers. The studio cleverly integrated the on-screen tension between Sam Wilson's Avengers and this new superhero team into real-world promotions. This strategy is designed to sustain interest in Thunderbolts* as Marvel prepares for the pivotal launch of Phase 6 with The Fantastic Four: First Steps in July.

According to Variety, Disney invested $180 million in the production of Thunderbolts* and an additional $100 million in marketing. For the film to achieve profitability in theaters, it will need to maintain strong global box office performance.

Disney CEO Bob Iger praised Thunderbolts*, describing it as "the first and best example" of Marvel's renewed focus on quality over quantity.

Did you like the Thunderbolts movie? ------------------------------------

Yeah! Nope.Meh.I haven't watched it yet.

AnswerSee ResultsThunderbolts* debuted with a domestic opening of $76 million, which was considered a solid, if not spectacular, start. This was better than Eternals ($71 million) and Ant-Man and the Wasp ($75 million), which were deemed flops, but it fell short of the opening earnings of most other MCU films.

The film has been well-received by both audiences and critics. IGN's review of Thunderbolts awarded it a 7/10, commending its dual nature: "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 banking on positive word-of-mouth to help Thunderbolts* outlast the rapid decline experienced by Captain America: Brave New World. Recent years have been challenging for Marvel movies, with only occasional successes like the billion-dollar Deadpool & Wolverine film.

Marvel Cinematic Universe: Every Upcoming Movie and TV Show

View 18 ImagesLooking ahead, Marvel fans can anticipate Avengers: Doomsday on May 1, 2026, followed by Spider-Man: Brand New Day on July 31, 2026, and Avengers: Secret Wars on May 7, 2027.

In other box office news, Sinners has reached $283.3 million globally, while A Minecraft Movie continues its strong run with $909.6 million after six weekends.