“Thunderbolts,” the newest entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, opened the summer box office with a bang, debuting to $76 million in domestic ticket sales. This impressive debut was enough to propel the film into first place at the box office. It’s an indication that, in spite of everything that’s gone wrong for Marvel’s recent releases, this film is riding a wave of better reception.
In fact, the tracking for “Thunderbolts’” opening weekend performance is right in line with the previous Marvel film debuts. “The Eternals” opened at $71 million—the worst opening for a Marvel film since “Ant-Man and the Wasp’s” $75 million debut. These figures further demonstrate a downward trend in the franchise’s box office performance, as it continues to be down from previous blockbusters.
Even with a good opening, analysts point out that the “Thunderbolts” results indicate that Marvel’s excitement crisis isn’t close to being over. They caution that making those struggles go away is far from easy. Industry expert Paul Dergarabedian remarked on the film’s performance, stating, “Marvel set the bar so high for so many years that a $76 million opening may seem to some like it should have done $100 million or something like that.”
Currently, “Thunderbolts” has grossed $179.7 million in the U.S. It has just crossed $236.7 million worldwide, meaning it is experiencing a fantastic upward trajectory in its entire earnings pile. Dergarabedian further commented that this film represents a significant moment for the franchise: “This is a great reset. They’re hitting the reset with ‘Thunderbolts.’”
Beyond “Thunderbolts,” a few other films made up the weekend box office totals. “The Accountant 2” won with $9.5 million. More accurately, “A Minecraft Movie” came in second to “The Accountant 2.” Until Dawn was able to rake in $3.8 million – not too shabby at all. In comparison, “Sinners,” now in its third week, has grossed $33 million, holding extremely well with only a 28% drop from last week.
Even the lower tier performances still yielded internationally respectable box office grosses. The Amateur made $1.8 million, The King of Kings $1.7 million and Warfare $1.3 million. Remarkably, “The Surfer” still earned $674,560 from 884 theaters despite having a lower marketing push.
With all this together, it’s shaping up to be a fascinating summer at the box office. Whatever the outcome, Marvel seems to be plowing ahead with its plan. Nothing can replace positive reviews and enthusiastic word-of-mouth—both of which are bound to shore up “Thunderbolts”’s performance over the coming weeks. Dergarabedian noted, “The great reviews and the word-of-mouth should hold it (in) good stead.”
