Unfortunately, Thunderbolts* hasn’t been doing well at the box office, though the future of the MCU looks to be much brighter with some major heavy hitters. Featuring several returning characters who form a brand-new team in the MCU, one would think that Thunderbolts* would have been more successful, especially with all of its generally positive word of mouth. As such, it looks like Marvel Studios will need to hold out for its future releases if it’s looking for the franchise’s historical levels of success.
In Thunderbolts*, multiple returning MCU characters with darker pasts come together as a team of heroes they never thought they could be. Likewise, it’s even revealed by the movie’s end that they’ve evolved into the MCU’s “New Avengers”, explaining the asterisk in the Thunderbolts* title. However, the box office returns for Thunderbolts* are sadly not matching up with expectations as it nears the end of its theatrical run, though the MCU has plenty of guaranteed winners to look forward to.
Thunderbolts* May Be Profitable, But It’s The Third Lowest-Grossing MCU Movie
It’s Barely Hit Its Break-Even Point
Firstly, it’s important to make clear that Thunderbolts* has generally been profitable. According to Box Office Mojo, the latest MCU movie has earned just over $360 million internationally, which is nothing to sneeze at. That said, that number means Thunderbolts* has just now hit its break-even point with the movie’s reported $180 million budget. However, that’s not including marketing costs, which must have been substantial considering all the post-release New Avengers marketing.
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In comparison to the rest of the MCU, the truth about Thunderbolts/New Avengers’ weaker performance becomes even clearer. At present, Thunderbolts* is the third lowest-grossing MCU movie of all time. The only two MCU movies that earned less than Thunderbolts* are 2008’s The Incredible Hulk at just over $265 million and 2023’s The Marvels at $199 million.
The Next 4 MCU Movies Are More Likely To Be Big Box Office Hits
Some Real Heavy Hitters
Thunderbolts* underperforming at the box office is very disappointing, especially considering its quality. It very much represents a return to form for the MCU, with many fans likening it to a Marvel movie that might have been released during the golden age of the MCU’s second or third phases. However, it is good for the franchise overall that the next four scheduled MCU movies are practically guaranteed to be major box office performers.
The final MCU movie of 2025 is Fantastic Four: First Steps in July, the highly anticipated MCU reboot of Marvel’s First Family that will take place in a unique retro-future version of the 1960s. It will more than likely set the stage for the next two Avengers movies as well. 2026 will then see the release of Marvel and Sony’s Spider-Man: Brand New Day starring Tom Holland, the start of a brand-new trilogy for the MCU’s Webslinger.
The end of 2026 will also see the release of Avengers: Doomsday with over 20 confirmed MCU actors (thus far) and the return of Robert Downey Jr. as Doctor Doom. Then, 2027 is set to bring the entire Multiverse Saga to an end with Avengers: Secret Wars. Compared to this year’s Thunderbolts*, these are all known and beloved properties. Aside from Fantastic Four, they’re also proven to be billion-dollar properties.
Why MCU Movies Have Struggled At The Box Office
There Are A Few Good Reasons
There are a few different elements that likely contribute to Thunderbolts* underwhelming performance. Firstly, there’s the general decreasing level of interest in the franchise overall since Avengers: Endgame, making the introduction of a new MCU property more of a gamble, even if it’s largely comprised of returning/known characters. Said disinterest arguably stems from the franchise becoming too large and hard to follow in recent years, with multiple movies and shows releasing annually.
This has in turn led to a resulting drop in quality as well as less cohesion across releases. It also doesn’t help that this month has been full of other big blockbusters/performers, such as Lilo & Stitch and the final Mission: Impossible movie. At any rate, the reported slowdown in production and increase in quality, combined with the next four MCU releases being heavy hitters, should easily help Marvel Studios bounce back after Thunderbolts’ less-than-stellar performance.
Thunderbolts* is now playing in theaters from Marvel Studios.
Thunderbolts*
8/10
- Release Date
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May 2, 2025
- Runtime
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127 minutes
- Director
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Jake Schreier
- Writers
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Eric Pearson, Joanna Calo
