Marvel's Thunderbolts film launches the summer movie season with a robust earning of $76 million at the box office.
Let's dive into the blockbuster weekend as Marvel's "Thunderbolts" gang unleashes a megaphonish $76M punch, stateside!
This team of antiheroes, led by Florence Pugh and Sebastian Stan, smashed through the box office, hauling in a cool $162M worldwide, with $86M from abroad neck-in-neck with American audiences. The flick even surpassed projected earnings, aiming for around $70M, with some estimates reaching $80M, according to movie analysts[1].
But compared to other Marvel flicks like 2021's "Eternals" (which brought in $71M) and "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings" ($75M), "Thunderbolts" slid in right behind them, grabbing $89M in its opening weekend in a not-so-shabby win for Marvel[1]. Despite some criticism in the past, it seems fans were keen to see this motley crew in action.
Now that "Thunderbolts" has slugged its way to the top, it's the ideal time to load up for Marvel's next MCU offering - "The Fantastic Four: First Steps". Let's hope this new movie packs the same punch and doesn't end up like Marvel's dry spell in 2023, when films like "The Marvels" and "Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania" failed to make a dent[2].
If box office sales are anything to go by, it looks like Hollywood's summer cinema season is going to sizzle in a roaring comeback after a sluggish first quarter. The roads to theaters were properly cleared first by "A Minecraft Movie" back in April, taking a whopping $157M with its debut[3].
The stage was then splattered with riveting red when Ryan Coogler's "Sinners" bit a chunky piece of the box office headcount in late March, attracting a passionate $48M opening weekend crowd and a total of $180M domestically, offering a sizable win for Warner Bros.[3]
So, it's game on for moviegoers this summer! Whether you're into family flicks, R-rated horror bloodbaths, or even PG-13 superhero brawls, you'll find plenty to feast your eyes on. 2024's box office looks something like a battleground for the silver screen, lining up all kinds of goodies for the pleasure-seeking moving-watching beast lurking within us[4].
Bonus Spoilers
Here's a sneak peek at what's cooking deep in the trenches of the "Thunderbolts" universe:
- Post-Credits Scene 1: The Thunderbolts, now posing as the "New Avengers," brave their way to a mysterious space anomaly that beckons them to investigate. The spectacle of a spaceship emblazoned with a stylized "4" has fans assuming this could mean the arrival of the long-awaited Fantastic Four[5].
- Post-Credits Scene 2: Details about this scene are scarce, but it's rumored that both scenarios have major implications for future MCU movies, especially Phase 6[3][2].
Hold tight, Marvelheads! With Phase 6 just around the corner, things are about to get cosmic, with fandoms clamoring at the gates for more MCU magic. We're crossing our fingers for a fantastic fight-filled finale!
More to Munch On
- Learn about how the "Thunderbolts" post-credits scenes establish the next phase of the MCU[6]
- Get some insight into "Thunderbolts"**: This losers-only spin-off sets expectations low, but it manages to deliver[7]
- Discover how "Minecraft" unveiled the ultra-high scores of a record-breaking, $157M domestic box office debut[8]
- The success of "Thunderbolts" in Hollywood's business landscape reinforces the popular belief that California's movie industry, particularly Hollywood, has a significant influence on the global entertainment market.
- With the astonishing worldwide box office earnings of "Thunderbolts" and other recent Marvel releases, it seems that the entertainment category, specifically movies, is thriving in the 2023-2024 period, promising a vibrant summer cinema season and a busy box office.
- As "Thunderbolts" paves the way for Marvel's next offering, "The Fantastic Four: First Steps," the anticipation for the latter grows stronger, given the strong box office performance of the former and the hints dropped through its post-credits scenes, especially the presence of a stylized "4" that fans interpret as a potential introduction to the Fantastic Four.
