This May, Disney and Marvel will be opening their theaters to their newest blockbuster, “Thunderbolts.” It matched their astounding $76 million domestic opening weekend on its first Friday! Florence Pugh, Sebastian Stan, David Harbour, Wyatt Russell and Hannah John-Kamen put on a star-studded act. They bring an exciting new dynamic to the MCU, with an introduction of a group of unusual antiheroes.
The family-friendly film’s impressive performance is a much-needed shot in the arm at a crucial juncture for the summer box office, which floundered last year. Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst at Comscore, added that May is shaping up to be one of the best months ever. That big number is in large part thanks to the premium debut performance of “Thunderbolts” on that weekend. THUNDERBOLTS has a whopping 88% “Fresh” rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 257 reviews. It’s doing spectacularly well with an astounding 94% audience score, winning huge acclaim from critics and crowds alike.
Shawn Robbins, the chief analyst at Fandango added to the impact “Thunderbolts” had on this summer box office. He is further the founder of Box Office Theory. He stated, “Every franchise movie faces its share of tailwinds and headwinds, inherent and external factors that dictate what audience anticipation and response will be.” He added that the film’s success is a moment worth celebrating for Marvel after several years of mixed reactions to its various films and streaming series.
The MCU’s $76 million opening is nothing to sneeze at. It’s in the middle of the pack when indexed against all other franchises. Analysts are confident that this huge opening weekend is only the start for the highly reviewed film. Dergarabedian remarked, “The opening weekend performance of ‘Thunderbolts’ is just the beginning for this well-reviewed crowd-pleaser.”
This means the MCU hasn’t released a Marvel film to start the summer movie season since 2009. What’s so surprising about “Thunderbolts” is how different it is! Last year, Universal’s “The Fall Guy” only managed to secure $28 million during its first three days, highlighting the positive momentum generated by this year’s releases.
Robbins added, “To launch an ensemble of junior varsity characters unfamiliar to many outside the core fan base, and to do so with some of the best word of mouth the MCU has seen from critics and audiences in years, is a fresh reminder of what Marvel is capable of when the creative engine fires on all cylinders.” He’s banking on “Thunderbolts” to repeat the success of movies such as “A Minecraft Movie” and “Sinners.” That’s an indicator that it has fantastic long-term box office playability potential.