Disney and Marvel's 'Thunderbolts*' Opens with $76 Million in Domestic Sales

A team of unusual antiheroes has ignited the summer movie season, propelling the box office forward.

The latest Marvel film, 'Thunderbolts*,' amassed an estimated $76 million in its premiere weekend in the United States, marking the third-largest opening of 2025.

Globally, with its international sales included, this new addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe achieved an estimated $162.1 million.

Paul Dergarabedian, a senior media analyst at Comscore, remarked, "'Thunderbolts*' debut is making May one of the most successful months on record."

The previous year's summer box office, which starts the first weekend of May and lasts until Labor Day, struggled at its launch, especially as it was the first time since 2009 that a Marvel movie wasn't opening the season.

In recent times, Marvel films have found it challenging to match the success of 2019's groundbreaking 'Avengers: Endgame.' While some films became hits, others were disappointments, contributing to a perceived inconsistency in the studio's quality.

Shawn Robbins, Fandango's director of analytics and Box Office Theory's founder, commented, "Each franchise film encounters a mix of challenges and boosts, shaped by inherent and outside influences that guide audience interest and reaction."

Although a $76 million opening is rather standard for the MCU, 'Thunderbolts*' demonstrates significant achievement, asserted box office experts to CNBC.

'Thunderbolts*' navigates the challenge of introducing a new ensemble cast to audiences largely unfamiliar outside of core fans, highlighted by some of the best critical and public reception the MCU has witnessed recently.

The film currently boasts an 88% 'Fresh' rating on Rotten Tomatoes from 257 critics and a 94% audience approval rating.

According to Dergarabedian from Comscore, "The outstanding weekend launch of 'Thunderbolts*' is likely the start for what is a fan-favorite success story, potentially following in the footsteps of 'A Minecraft Movie' and 'Sinners' with lasting box office success."

Recently, 'A Minecraft Movie' and 'Sinners' have managed to attract steady audiences, with smaller than typical declines in weekly attendance, and 'Thunderbolts*' appears poised to continue this positive trend.