There was never any doubt that theThunderboltswould come together, at least where locking down the No. 1 spot at the weekendbox officewas concerned. No, the only question facing the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s ragtag team was how much money their film could make? Unfortunately, director Jake Schreier’s contribution to the MCU didn’t crack the $100 million mark domestically, but it did bring in an estimated $76 million in the United States and Canada. However,Thunderboltsfared far better overseas with an additional $86.1 million for a worldwide total of $162.1 million against a reported production budget of $180 million.
WhereThunderbolts*truly excelled was how the superhero squad’s first misadventure performed with audiences and critics. Schreier’s movie currently registers a “Certified Fresh” 88% on the Tomatometer against 257 reviews posted to Rotten Tomatoes. Meanwhile, the fans responded even more favorably to the debut of the “New Avengers.” The superhero action comedy holds a “Verified Hot” 94% on the Popcornmeter and an extremely well-deserved “A-” CinemaScore.
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However,Thunderboltswasn’t the only game in town over the first weekend of the 2025 summer movie season. Director Ryan Coogler and star Michael B. Jordan’sSinnerscontinued to scare up audiences in impressive fashion. The bloody vampire flick only fell 28% between its 2nd and 3rd weekends to land the No. 2 spot at the box office with another $33 million.
‘Thunderbolts*’ Faces Very Little Competition
Thunderboltsandlast week’s box office champion,Sinners,decisively led the way over the first weekend of the summer movie season. However, Jason Momoa and Jack Black’sA Minecraft Moviecontinued to make its mark against the rest of the competition. The video game adaptation landed the No. 3 slot with $13.7 million as the film approached the $400 million mark domestically with $398.2 million. Ben Affleck and Jon Bernthal’sThe Accountant 2checked in at No. 4 with $9.5 million, and the horror filmUntil Dawnrounded out the Top 5 with $3.8 million. Meanwhile, a trio of newcomers may not have had the same impact asThunderbolts,but they did make enough money to challenge for spots in the weekend’s Top 10 at the box office.
Hit: The Third Caselocked down the No. 9 spot with $955,000. Director Sailesh Kolanu’s action thriller did particularly well in larger U.S. and Canadian markets like New York City, San Francisco, and Toronto, plus the Indian Telugu-language crime flick had more than enough firepower to hold off No. 10Guru Nanak Jahaz($685,000). Meanwhile, Nicolas Cage’s latest contribution to the big screen,The Surfer,nearly cracked the Top 10 with a rather modest $674,000 at No. 11.
Thunderbolts*should easily repeat as the No. 1 film next weekend as a handful of lackluster titles jointhe 2025 box office’ssummer movie season on May 9. The horror film,Clown in a Cornfield,hopes to recreate the magic spell cast on movie audiences by Art the Clown of theTerrifierfilms’ fame. Meanwhile, the Josh Hartnett-ledFight or Flight, the new musicalJuliet & Romeo— not to be confused withWest Side Story— and the action thrillerShadow Forcesimply won’t be threats when it comes to dethroning the MCU’s latest cinematic offering. Oh, and here’s a reminder for all the movie lovers out there: the 78th Cannes Film Festival gets underway on Tuesday, May 13.
Sources:The Numbers,Deadline
Thunderbolts*
