Sinners Vampires Surpass Marvel’s Thunderbolts at the Box Office

by

Summary

  • Sinners has surpassed Thunderbolts at the U.S. box office to become the top film again.
  • Sinners is outperforming the MCU average and could become the third-highest-grossing horror film ever in the U.S.
  • Thunderbolts* is nearing a $200 million domestic gross, but Sinners’ success shows word-of-mouth power in Hollywood.

In a real-world confrontation, there’s no question that the Thunderbolts from Marvel would effortlessly fend off any vampire attack. However, when it comes to the fight for box office supremacy, things are different. The day after unsuccessfully attempting to dethrone the box office leader, Thunderbolts, another movie, titled Sinners, made a comeback, aiming for a second attempt to overthrow the Marvel team-up from its position at the top of the US Box Office.

In a different phrasing: A chilling horror-thriller titled “Sinners,” set in the 1930s American South and directed by Ryan Coogler, debuted with a staggering $45.6 million domestically and an additional $15.6 million from international markets, totaling $61.2 million worldwide. This opening is noteworthy as it represents the strongest domestic debut for an original horror film since Jordan Peele’s “US.” Remarkably, the following weekend saw one of the smallest drops in Hollywood history, at only 6%. Meanwhile, “Thunderbolts” opened with $76 million over three days in North America, slightly surpassing expectations of $70-$75 million. However, it holds the record for the lowest summer launch for an MCU film and ranks second-lowest when adjusted for inflation.

Thunderbolts* Is No Longer The Top Film In the U.S., Sinners Is

Sinners Is Doing Better Numbers Than The MCU Average

On its fourth Thursday in U.S. cinemas, the movie “Sinners” reclaimed the top spot after earning $2.3 million (a decrease of 21%). According to industry analyst Luiz Fernando, this pushed “Thunderbolts*” down to second place with $2.1 million on its second Thursday (a steeper drop of 51%). For the third day running, “Sinners” has surpassed the daily earnings of “Avengers: Infinity War” and “Avengers: Endgame,” which made $1.9 million each on their fourth Thursdays. To date, only “The Super Mario Bros Movie” among April releases has a higher fourth Thursday than “Sinners,” with earnings of $3.1 million. Remarkably, “Sinners” is outperforming the typical performance of Marvel Cinematic Universe films at this point in their theatrical runs.

MCU Films On Their Fourth Thursday

Film Fourth Thursday Gross/ Drop
Iron Man $3.2 million / -40%
Ant-Man $2.7 million / -42%
Captain America: The First Avenger $2.7 million / -9%
Shang Chi and the Legend of Ten Rings $2.6 million / -34%
Black Widow $2.3 million / -53%
Thor $2.2 million / -45%
The Incredible Hulk $2.1 million / -49%
Captain America: Brave New World $1.5 million / -53%

Currently, the movie “Sinners” is nearly reaching the $233 million earnings of “The Exorcist” domestically, and with a week left, it’s expected to surpass this figure. If it does, “Sinners” will take the fourth spot among the highest-grossing horror films in the U.S., overtaking “The Exorcist.” A domestic gross of $250 million seems certain, but a $20 million run is less likely. In that case, “Sinners” would move up to third place on the U.S. all-time horror list, just behind “It” and “The Sixth Sense.

Meanwhile, Thunderbolts is projected to gross nearly $200 million in North America, currently standing at $139 million. However, a global earnings of $400 million seems less probable compared to the previous weekend, with Lilo and Stitch’s anticipated $100 million debut looming. It may seem surprising that a Marvel Studios ensemble is being outperformed by a four-week-old non-IP vampire horror, but this isn’t necessarily a sign of audience exhaustion in the once-unbeatable franchise. Instead, it showcases Ryan Coogler’s command over the art of filmmaking and underscores the power of word-of-mouth in Hollywood.

Read More

2025-05-17 03:44