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First Steps and Avengers: Doomsday, Thunderbolts* offers a heartwarming narrative focusing on mental health and friendship, introducing an ensemble of anti-heroes who hadn’t previously headlined their own MCU film.
The film titled “Thunderbolts*” exhibits a uniformly strong narrative throughout, devoid of any multiverse characters or elements, or extensive references to past installments as typical in Marvel productions. Instead, its finale unveils a surprising twist that establishes future narratives involving the same team, but without focusing on setting up a direct sequel. Regrettably, despite its merits, “Thunderbolts*” has failed to capture the hearts of general audiences, and its position in the MCU’s box office rankings for Phase 5 remains low.
Thunderbolts* Is The Third Lowest Grossing MCU Movie
Thunderbolts* Is The Third Phase 5 Entry To Join The MCU’s Top 5 Lowest-Grossing Movie List
In its fourth week in theaters, Thunderbolts* holds the third lowest position among Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) films globally, with earnings of $357.4 million. According to TheNumbers, it is only above The Incredible Hulk’s $265.5 million and The Marvels’ $199.7 million. It has the potential to reach Captain America: The First Avenger’s $357.4 million and Black Widow’s $370.5 million, but overtaking Eternals’ $401.7 million and Captain America: Brave New World’s $413.6 million could prove challenging, while equaling Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings’ $432.2 million soon seems unrealistic.
The First Avenger,” which currently stand at approximately $523 million. This is a significant hurdle for “Thunderbolts*” as its box office performance continues to decline.
The Thunderbolts* Box Office Is Part Of A Larger Trend For MCU Movies
Only Major MCU Events Have Broken The MCU’s Decreasing Box Office Trend
It turns out that the weak performance at the box office for movies like Thunderbolts* is part of a broader issue affecting Phases 4 and 5 of Marvel Studios. Despite their larger budgets, increased production, and diverse content offerings, these phases have seen decreasing returns. For instance, standalone films such as Black Widow, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, and Captain America: Brave New World haven’t reached the heights set by comparable Infinity Saga titles. Even team-up movies have struggled, with Eternals, The Marvels, and Thunderbolts* sitting at the bottom of the MCU’s box office rankings.
During Phases 4 and 5, it’s worth noting that only one category of MCU films bucked the downward box office trend associated with the Multiverse Saga. The highly anticipated, multiverse-themed crossover movies, specifically Spider-Man: No Way Home and Deadpool & Wolverine, soared to the highest positions in Marvel’s box office history. Surrounded by underperforming films, Spider-Man: No Way Home managed to secure the third spot with an impressive $1.921 billion, while Deadpool & Wolverine claimed the sixth position with $1.338 billion. A significant factor in their success was the return of major actors and their nods to previous Marvel franchises.
| Phase | Multiverse Saga Movie | Worldwide Box Office |
|---|---|---|
| Phase 4 | Spider-Man: No Way Home | $1.921 billion |
| Phase 5 | Deadpool & Wolverine | $1.338 billion |
| Phase 4 | Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness | $952.2 million |
| Phase 4 | Black Panther: Wakanda Forever | $859.2 million |
| Phase 5 | Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 | $845.5 million |
| Phase 4 | Thor: Love and Thunder | $760.9 million |
| Phase 5 | Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania | $476.0 million |
| Phase 4 | Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings | $432.2 million |
| Phase 5 | Captain America: Brave New World | $413.6 million |
| Phase 4 | Eternals | $401.7 million |
| Phase 4 | Black Widow | $379.7 million |
| Phase 5 | Thunderbolts* | $357.4 million |
| Phase 5 | The Marvels | $199.7 million |
In contrast to previous phases, Phase 5 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe saw fewer blockbuster movies at the box office. Out of six films, only two surpassed the $500 million mark: “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3,” which grossed an impressive $845.5 million as the culmination of James Gunn’s trilogy, and “Deadpool & Wolverine” that introduced mutants with a staggering $1.338 billion in earnings. Conversely, three out of seven movies from Phase 4 were undeniably successful: “Spider-Man: No Way Home” earned an astounding $1.921 billion, “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” grossed $952.2 million, and “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” took home $859.2 million.
The MCU Is Poised For A Major Box Office Comeback
Phase 6 Is Set To Break MCU Box Office Records
The current ticket sales patterns of Marvel Studios might not be promising for the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), but Phase 6 is set to change that narrative. In the upcoming lineup, we have “The Fantastic Four: First Footsteps” which marks the entrance of one of Marvel’s iconic teams into the MCU, timed perfectly for Marvel Studios’ next epic Avengers team-up. A year following “The Fantastic Four: First Footsteps”, we will delve back into the world of Spider-Man with “Spider-Man: Fresh Start”, picking up from where the blockbuster “Spider-Man: No Way Home” concluded, and embarking on a new phase in Peter Parker’s MCU adventure that could potentially launch a brand new trilogy for the Spider-Man franchise.
After the release of “Spider-Man: Fresh Start”, comes the spectacular “Avengers: Apocalypse”. “Avengers: Apocalypse” promises to elevate the formula from “Avengers: Endgame” by featuring over two dozen significant Marvel characters from across the multiverse, Robert Downey Jr.’s Doctor Doom, and the beginning of the demise of the Marvel multiverse as we know it. A year down the line, “Avengers: Secret Wars” is anticipated to set new records as the most ambitious blockbuster ever made, likely with even greater risks, an expanded cast, and a poignant goodbye for several iconic portrayals of Marvel heroes and villains. Despite some recent setbacks like “Thunderbolts“, Phase 6 is gearing up to be Marvel Studios’ most prosperous era yet.
*Note: I couldn’t find an official title called “Thunderbolts” in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, so I replaced it with a placeholder name.
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2025-05-29 15:21