Thunderbolts* SHOCKS Box Office! Is $80M Opening Weekend Next?!

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Summary

  • Thunderbolts* scored $11.5 million in Thursday previews, beating estimates for a potential $80 million opening weekend.
  • In France and China, Thunderbolts* had mixed results with lower box office numbers compared to other MCU titles.
  • Kevin Feige may rely on word-of-mouth to ensure Thunderbolts* becomes a commercial success despite varied international performance.

The long-awaited moment has arrived! Marvel Studios’ Thunderbolts* is now playing in cinemas globally, and it seems that fans of the MCU can no longer contain their enthusiasm, as indicated by strong Thursday preview ticket sales. This could mean that experts will have to revise their opening weekend predictions.

In the cinemas, the final installment of the franchise’s Phase Five, titled “Thunderbolts*“, is making a strong entrance, riding on positive word-of-mouth. On Rotten Tomatoes, it boasts a 90% rating, one of the highest in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. This epic ensemble movie features stars like Florence Pugh (Yelena Belova), Sebastian Stan (Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier), David Harbour (Alexei Shostakov/Red Guardian), Wyatt Russell (John Walker/U.S. Agent), Hannah John-Kamen (Ava Starr/Ghost), Olga Kurylenko (Antonia Dreykov/Taskmaster), and Lewis Pullman (Robert Reynolds/Sentry). Analysts anticipate that “Thunderbolts*” will earn at least $70 million domestically, with some predictions reaching as high as $75 million. However, its preview numbers hint at an even larger opening figure.

Thunderbolts* Scored A Strong $11.5 Million In Thursday Previews

It’s Another Story In France And China, Though

Based on insights from analyst Luiz Fernando, Thunderbolts* concluded its Thursday previews with a strong box office take of approximately $11.5 million, surpassing initial projections and placing it among the top nine highest-grossing previews for summer blockbuster premieres. To put this into perspective, Captain America: Brave New World earned $12 million on its previews; Eternals, $9.5 million; Black Widow, $13 million; Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 3, $17.5 million; and Dune: Part 2, $12 million. Given this promising start, Florence Pugh and her co-stars are poised to potentially rake in around $80 million during the opening weekend.

In North America, the reception was quite positive. However, in foreign markets like Europe (particularly France) and China, it appears to be less excited. The film Thunderbolts* took the top spot at France’s box office, but its opening day performance was one of the weakest for an MCU title post-COVID, with $745,000 from 81,000 ticket sales. Titles that are less favored in the MCU have done significantly better. For instance, Eternals and Black Widow opened to $1.6 million on 161,000 admissions in France on their first days. Captain America: Brave New World earned $950,000 on its opening day from 105,000 ticket sales more recently. The Marvels managed $451,000 on its first day, although it was based on fewer admissions—just 49,000.

In China, Thunderbolts finished fourth on the box office charts for Friday, earning a modest $2.3 million. Based on this, it’s likely that the film will earn around $15 million during its opening weekend in the largest foreign market. This is similar to the earnings of mid-level comic book films like The Marvels ($11 million) and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania ($19 million), as well as The Flash ($10 million).

It’s clear that Kevin Feige will lean heavily on audience buzz, bolstered by exclusive fan previews, to propel the movie “Thunderbolts” to massive box office success. It’s important to remember that positive critic reviews and strong ticket sales aren’t the only indicators of a film’s potential performance. Despite this, “Thunderbolts” seems to be on the right path, and if Ryan Coogler’s recent triumph with “Sinners” demonstrates anything, it underscores the enduring power of word-of-mouth. Will the legions of Marvel Cinematic Universe fans unite in force for “Thunderbolts” during the weekend? Only time will tell as we await Sunday evening’s numbers.

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2025-05-03 02:34