Thunderbolts* Approaches $280M Box Office Amid New Avengers Marketing Surge

Thunderbolts*, featuring Florence Pugh, maintained a strong performance in its second weekend at the box office, amassing a global total of $272.2 million. The film added $33.1 million domestically and $34 million internationally, securing its position at the top of the box office charts for the second consecutive week. Impressively, it experienced a -44% drop from its opening weekend, outperforming 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 in the domestic market and $143.7 million internationally.

Last week, Marvel intensified its marketing efforts for Thunderbolts*, even renaming the movie to New Avengers. The studio cleverly intertwined the on-screen rivalry between Sam Wilson's Avengers and this new team into real-world promotions. As Marvel gears up for the crucial launch of Phase 6 with The Fantastic Four: First Steps in July, it's clear they are banking on sustained interest in Thunderbolts*.

According to Variety, Disney invested $180 million in the production of Thunderbolts* and an additional $100 million in marketing. For the film to be profitable at the box office, it must continue to perform well globally.

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

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

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

AnswerSee ResultsThunderbolts opened with a solid $76 million domestically, surpassing Eternals ($71 million) and Ant-Man and the Wasp ($75 million), though it fell short of the typical MCU movie opening. The film has been well-received by both audiences and critics. IGN's review of Thunderbolts awarded it a 7/10, noting, "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 hopes that positive word-of-mouth will help Thunderbolts* outperform Captain America: Brave New World, which experienced a significant drop-off. Recent years have been challenging for Marvel movies, with only occasional successes like the billion-dollar Deadpool & Wolverine.

Marvel Cinematic Universe: Every Upcoming Movie and TV Show

View 18 ImagesLooking ahead, 2026 will see the release of Avengers: Doomsday on May 1 and Spider-Man: Brand New Day on July 31, followed by Avengers: Secret Wars on May 7, 2027.

Meanwhile, Sinners has reached $283.3 million globally, and A Minecraft Movie has earned $909.6 million after six weekends.