Thunderbolts Box Office Surpasses Many MCU Films but Still Underwhelms
A month following its premiere, discussions about the box office performance of the Thunderbolts have been buzzing within the MCU community, with many expressing surprise at how distinct they are from past Marvel films. Given that the primary cast is predominantly made up of lesser-known characters in the MCU, it was expected that Thunderbolts would face a tough battle. Characters like Bucky Barnes, who enjoys significant popularity within the MCU, may not hold as much star power compared to established Avengers such as Doctor Strange and Thor.
Regardless, the film “Thunderbolts*” has resonated strongly with viewers and is now recognized as one of the most widely praised films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). This demonstrates that certain MCU productions can deviate from the established formula that the franchise is known for. Unfortunately, a marketing decision made outside the norm, where “Thunderbolts*” was renamed to “The New Avengers” following its initial weekend, didn’t seem to draw in new crowds, suggesting that the Avengers label alone isn’t enough. However, despite not earning the almost guaranteed $1 billion like all other Avengers films, it’s not as dismal as some might suggest.
Thunderbolts*’s Box Office Results Are Better Than Other Recent MCU Movies, But Not Mind-blowing
Thunderbolts* Has Currently Grossed A Modest $317 Million
The movie “Thunderbolts” is currently playing in theaters, and has accumulated $372 million globally so far, as per “The Numbers”. Although this falls on the lower end of the box office success for Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) films, it significantly outperforms the MCU’s latest disappointing blockbuster, “The Marvels”, which earned less than $200 million against an estimated budget of $270 million in 2023. In comparison, “Captain America: Brave New World” and “Thunderbolts” shared a production budget of $180 million each, with the former having grossed $414 million by the end of its theater run. It remains possible that “Thunderbolts” may yet match or surpass these earnings, but the outlook isn’t very promising at this time.
Despite being outperformed by more recent Marvel films in terms of production budget, it’s worth noting that 2024’s movies, “Kraven the Hunter” and “Madame Web,” only managed to rake in $60 million and $100 million worldwide respectively. However, considering their modest budgets, these numbers are quite low. When we consider the global box office of Thunderbolts*, it appears significantly more impressive when viewed from a broader perspective.
Thunderbolts*’s Box Office Looks Better When Compared To The MCU’s Entire Movie History
Thunderbolts* Isn’t The Worst-Performing MCU Movie
In its current state, the movie “Thunderbolts*” holds the position of being one of the least profitable films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), but it’s on track to outdo “Black Widow” which earned $379 million. It’s worth noting that when production costs are factored in, “Thunderbolts*” has already surpassed the financial success of “Black Widow”, given that the latter required an additional $20 million to produce. A similar observation can be made for “Eternals”, which generated $402 million globally on a budget of $200 million. Moreover, “Thunderbolts*” has also surpassed the earnings of “Captain America: The First Avenger” and “The Incredible Hulk”.
| The MCU’s 5 Lowest-Grossing Movies (via TheNumbers) | ||
|---|---|---|
| MCU Movie | Production Budget | Worldwide Gross |
| Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023) | $200,000,000 | $476,073,180 |
| Thor (2011) | $150,000,000 | $449,326,618 |
| Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021) | $150,000,000 | $432,224,634 |
| Captain America: Brave New World (2025) | $180,000,000 | $413,640,021 |
| Eternals (2021) | $200,000,000 | $401,731,759 |
| Black Widow (2021) | $200,000,000 | $379,751,131 |
| Thunderbolts* (2025) | $180,000,000 | $372,088,406 (so far) |
| Captain America: The First Avenger (2011) | $140,000,000 | $370,569,776 |
| The Incredible Hulk (2008) | $137,500,000 | $265,573,859 |
| The Marvels (2023) | $270,000,000 | $199,706,250 |
Given that Thunderbolts stars an array of lesser-known characters, it’s not shocking that its box office performance isn’t stellar. This was also the case with The Marvels and Captain America, who weren’t as popular as Spider-Man or Hulk when their respective movies were released. As Thunderbolts features four characters introduced in Black Widow, it might serve as the best comparison to gauge its success. Interestingly, Thunderbolts shows a decent performance when compared in this way.
Comparing Thunderbolts* To Every Other MCU Movie’s Box Office Also Shows How Far Its Own Is From Many Other Marvel Films
Many Marvel Movies Grossed Much Less Than Thunderbolts*
The image becomes even more impressive when comparing the global box office earnings of Thunderbolts* with those of all other Marvel films. For instance, X-Men: First Class, another critically praised Marvel production, didn’t meet expectations, earning only $355 million worldwide. This is astonishingly lower than the widely criticized X-Men Origins: Wolverine, but still more than Dark Phoenix, one of Fox’s last and least favorite X-Men films. Remarkably, Thunderbolts* has also surpassed the combined earnings of Sony’s Morbius, Madame Web, and Kraven the Hunter.
The success of the Thunderbolts movie at the box office shows just how much the superhero genre has evolved over time. In comparison, earlier installments in this genre typically earned far less worldwide. For instance, the 2005 Fantastic Four made $333 million, X-Men from 2000 brought in $297 million, Hulk from 2003 grossed $245 million, and Daredevil from the same year collected $183 million. However, in today’s era of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Thunderbolts has a global box office that stands out as an exception, and worryingly, could signal a possible decline for the superhero genre overall.
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2025-06-07 05:50