Thunderbolts Set to Become One of Marvel’s Biggest Box Office Disasters!
Despite positive buzz from critics and fans, and a star-studded cast including Florence Pugh’s Yelena Belova, Sebastian Stan’s Bucky Barnes, Wyatt Russell’s U.S. Agent, and Lewis Pullman’s Sentry, the film Thunderbolts may still struggle at the box office due to its association with some of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s least successful films.
Following seven weekends in cinemas, the film “Thunderbolts*” has earned approximately $185 million within the U.S. and $375 million globally. This places Thunderbolts* as the 8th lowest-grossing Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) film, surpassing 2021’s “Black Widow” ($183 million), which was also made available on Disney Plus’ Premiere Access platform at the same time. However, it falls short compared to another upcoming MCU movie in 2025, “Captain America: Brave New World,” with a gross of $200 million.
As a passionate admirer, I find it fascinating to consider the financial aspects behind the production of an epic movie like “Thunderbolts.” With a whopping $180 million budget, this cinematic masterpiece typically needs 2.5 times its cost just to break even. That translates to a staggering gross revenue requirement of approximately $450 million in box office sales.
However, the story doesn’t end there. While it might be challenging for “Thunderbolts” to reach such numbers in theaters, potential earnings from home releases and streaming platforms could potentially help the movie finish with a modest profit.
Regrettably, Thunderbolts seems unlikely to last long enough in cinemas to surpass $519.3 million, a figure needed to outperform Ant-Man and secure a spot among the bottom 10 highest-grossing Marvel Cinematic Universe films.
It’s looking doubtful that Thunderbolts will manage to earn over $519.3 million in its theatrical run, an amount required to outdo Ant-Man and join the MCU’s 10 lowest-earning movies of all time.
Listed below are the top 10 MCU films with the least box office earnings to date, not including Thunderbolts, as its theatrical release period has yet to conclude:
Here’s another way:
The following 10 MCU movies have earned the least amount of money at the box office so far, excluding Thunderbolts*, since its theatrical run is ongoing:
*Note: The asterisk (*) denotes that the film’s theatrical release period is still active.
And one more:
The 10 MCU films with the smallest box office collections to date (excluding Thunderbolts, as it is currently playing in theaters):
*Disclaimer: The asterisk (*) indicates that the film’s theatrical run is still ongoing.
10.) Ant-Man
- Domestic Box Office: $180.2 million
- Worldwide Box Office: $519.3 million
- Budget: $130 million
To surpass $519.3 million in earnings, the Thunderbolts movie must outperform Ant-Man and risk joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s lowest-grossing films – an outcome that appears improbable. Following the release of Avengers: Age of Ultron, Ant-Man managed a successful box office run, introducing a beloved new character to audiences and contributing to a more humorous addition to the MCU.
9.) Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania
- Domestic Box Office: $214.5 million
- Worldwide Box Office: $476.1 million
- Budget: $200 million
Initially, Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania was intended as a powerful launch for Phase 5, introducing Jonathan Majors’ character, Kang, as the antagonist in Avengers 5. However, negative critiques, underwhelming trailers, and Majors’ domestic violence allegations seemed to hinder its success at the box office. As a result, the film appears to be heading towards the less remembered MCU releases, with Kang’s future storyline seemingly abandoned.
8.) Thor
- Domestic Box Office: $181 million
- Worldwide Box Office: $449.3 million
- Budget: $150 million
In a new twist, Thor steered the Marvel Cinematic Universe towards an epic reminiscent of Shakespeare, set in the realm of Asgard. While this film paved the way for The Avengers by introducing us to Chris Hemsworth as Thor and Tom Hiddleston as Loki, it landed on the pricier side among the MCU’s least profitable films.
7.) Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
- Domestic Box Office: $224.5 million
- Worldwide Box Office: $432.2 million
- Budget: $150 million
Under the circumstances of its debut, the film “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” did exceptionally well. Despite not featuring a famous superhero or many A-list actors, it grossed approximately $432.2 million at a time when cinemas were struggling due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The film received widespread acclaim, with director Destin Daniel Cretton being tapped for a leading role on a significant Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) movie slated for 2026.
6.) Captain America: Brave New World
- Domestic Box Office: $200.5 million
- Worldwide Box Office: $415.1 million
- Budget: $180 million
Unfortunately, Anthony Mackie’s debut solo film as Captain America, titled Captain America: Brand New World, didn’t quite live up to expectations. The movie featured a political conspiracy thriller with Captain America battling the Red Hulk, and even brought Harrison Ford into the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). However, despite these notable elements, the film ended up performing relatively poorly in the MCU, and there are concerns it may have even resulted in financial losses for Disney.
5.) Eternals
- Domestic Box Office: $164.9 million
- Worldwide Box Office: $402.1 million
- Budget: $200 million
Marvel Studios placed a substantial wager on Academy Award-winning director Chloe Zhao, who was tasked with unveiling ten divine characters in the MCU through the film Eternals. Despite the film’s star-studded cast that included Angelina Jolie, Salma Hayek, Richard Madden, and Kit Harington, it managed to garner only $402.1 million globally. This underperformance can be partly attributed to the challenges posed by COVID-19, making a sequel for Eternals seem unlikely.
4.) Black Widow
- Domestic Box Office: $163.7 million
- Worldwide Box Office: $379.8 million
- Budget: $200 million
Following several postponements, “Black Widow” made its way to cinemas in July 2021, marking one of the initial blockbusters to debut after the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the challenging conditions, the box office performance of “Black Widow” isn’t that disappointing, particularly since it was also available for paid home viewing on Disney+ Premier Access at the same time.
3.) Captain America: The First Avenger
- Domestic Box Office: $176.7 million
- Worldwide Box Office: $370.6 million
- Budget: $140 million
Similar to other films from Phase 1 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), Captain America: The First Avenger was produced during a time when the MCU was still growing in popularity. At that point, the only major success for the studio was the Iron Man franchise. Despite being a precursor to the massive success of The Avengers, Captain America: The First Avenger was one of the lower-grossing films in the MCU, though it played an important role leading up to the success of The Avengers.
2.) The Incredible Hulk
- Domestic Box Office: $134.8 million
- Worldwide Box Office: $264.8 million
- Budget: $137.5 million
In a time long before the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) became well-known, The Incredible Hulk emerged as a unique character, with his only film being Iron Man at that point. Over the years, this gamma-enhanced blockbuster was often overlooked by fans, but unexpectedly, in 2025, The Incredible Hulk received a sequel, rekindling interest in the movie.
1.) The Marvels
- Domestic Box Office: $84.5 million
- Worldwide Box Office: $206.1 million
- Budget: $270 million
Although following in the footsteps of the highly profitable film Captain Marvel, the combination of Carol Danvers, Kamala Khan, and Monica Rambeau failed to prevent The Marvels from becoming a box office flop. The female-led cast holds the title as the lowest-grossing MCU blockbuster, and it is said that this movie cost Disney approximately $237 million in losses, setting a disastrous box office record for Marvel Studios.
Thunderbolts*’s Box Office Struggles Could Change Superhero Movies Forever
Regardless of its roster primarily consisting of secondary characters from the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), Thunderbolts held a number of potential advantages that could have led to significant box office earnings. The all-star cast, positive feedback, and captivating trailers were key factors contributing to its appeal. Moreover, it was setting the stage for the highly anticipated Avengers: Doomsday the following year.
It appears that the poor box office performances of Thunderbolts and Captain America: Brave New World, as well as many recent DC films, indicate that casual film-watchers are no longer automatically flocking to every superhero movie.
In simpler terms, not everyone is rushing out to watch every new superhero movie anymore.
With superhero movies losing some of their luster due to fatigue and increasing theater prices, fans appear to be opting to spend their cash on other films instead, and they’re eagerly awaiting streaming or digital versions to watch the remaining offerings like Deadpool & Wolverine>.
It’s hoped that “The Fantastic Four: First Steps” can help Marvel Studios regain success at the box office before “Avengers: Doomsday.” Unlike “Thunderbolts,” these films will feature more well-known characters, but it’s uncertain if the two controversial adaptations of the Fantastic Four under Fox might impact its potential.
Absolutely, let me rephrase it for you: Without a doubt, James Gunn, co-CEO at DC Studios, is hoping that Superman can end DC’s run of box office disappointments this coming summer.
Despite the fact that more superhero films are failing, movie studios might become more careful about which characters get large-scale blockbuster productions.
Or:
Regardless of whether superhero movies keep on flopping, film studios could grow wary and selective about investing in big-budget blockbusters featuring specific characters.
It’s not necessarily true that only large characters can headline theatrical releases. For instance, DC Studios is planning to release a horror movie starring Batman villain Clayface, which, surprisingly, has a budget of just $40 million compared to the usual $150-$250 million for most superhero movies.
If the ticket sales for typical superhero films don’t boost at DC and Marvel Studios, this could be an indication of future trends at both studios.
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2025-06-17 22:36