One month after it was released, theThunderboltsbox office results are a hot topic concerning theMCUand its future, but I’m surprised by how different they look when compared to previous Marvel movies.Thunderboltswas always going to face an uphill struggle, considering how its main cast almost exclusively comprises some of the MCU’s lesser-known characters. Even the likes of Bucky Barnes, one ofthe most beloved characters in the MCU, arguably pale in comparison to the star power of dyed-in-the-wool Avengers like Doctor Strange and Thor.
Despite this,Thunderboltshas struck the right chordwith audiences. It is now amongthe MCU’s most universally acclaimed movies, proving that some MCU installments can break the formula with which the franchise has become synonymous. Unfortunately, an off-piste marketing move that sawThunderboltschange its title toThe New Avengersafter its opening weekend didn’t exactly entice new scores to theaters, proving that the Avengers name alone isn’t sufficient. Still, while it may not have grossed the almost guaranteed $1 billion banked by all other Avengers movies, it’s not as bad as some might make out.
Thunderbolts*’s Box Office Results Are Better Than Other Recent MCU Movies, But Not Mind-blowing
Thunderbolts* Has Currently Grossed A Modest $317 Million
Thunderboltsis still in theaters, but has grossed $372 million worldwide at the time of writing, according toThe Numbers. This is within the lower range of MCU movies, butsignificantly better than the MCU’s recent record-breaking flop,The Marvels. In 2023,The Marvelsgrossed under $200 million against a reported budget of $270 million. At the same time,Captain America: Brave New Worldshares its $180 million budget withThunderboltsand had grossed $414 million by the end of its theatrical run. There is still a chance thatThunderbolts*could catch up, but the prognosis isn’t looking great.
Still,Thunderboltshas far surpassed the global box office of other recent Marvel movies. Although their production budgets were comparatively meager, 2024’sKraven the HunterandMadame Webgrossed just $60 million and $100 million, respectively, worldwide. Still, these are exceptionally low bars, andtheThunderboltsbox office starts to look a lot healthier when viewed through a wider lens.
Thunderbolts*’s Box Office Looks Better When Compared To The MCU’s Entire Movie History
Thunderbolts* Isn’t The Worst-Performing MCU Movie
As it stands,Thunderboltsis thefourth-lowest-grossing movie in the MCU, although it is close to surpassingBlack Widow’s $379 million. It is safe to say, however, thatThunderboltshas already been more financially successful thanBlack Widow, considering the latter cost an extra $20 million to make. The same might also be said forEternals, which grossed $402 million worldwide against a production budget of $200 million.Thunderbolts*has additionally grossed more thanCaptain America: The First AvengerandThe Incredible Hulk.
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023)
$200,000,000
$476,073,180
$150,000,000
$449,326,618
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021)
$432,224,634
$180,000,000
$413,640,021
$401,731,759
$379,751,131
$372,088,406 (so far)
$140,000,000
$370,569,776
$137,500,000
$265,573,859
$270,000,000
$199,706,250
ConsideringThunderboltsstars a litany of lesser-known characters, its current box office isn’t too surprising.The Marvelssuffered from a similar setback, while Captain America wasn’t exactly as well-known as, say, Spider-Man or Hulk by the timeCaptain America: The First Avengerwas released in 2011. Given that it features fourcharacters who debuted inBlack Widow, perhaps this movie provides the most accurate benchmarkwith which to measure the success ofThunderbolts. When doing this,Thunderbolts*boasts a respectable result.
Comparing Thunderbolts* To Every Other MCU Movie’s Box Office Also Shows How Far Its Own Is From Many Other Marvel Films
Many Marvel Movies Grossed Much Less Than Thunderbolts*
The image looks even better when assessing theThunderboltsworldwide box office against the backdrop of all other Marvel movies.X-Men: First Classis another example of a critically acclaimed Marvel movie that fell short of precedent, grossing just $355 million worldwide. This is bafflingly less than the widely lambastedX-Men Origins: Wolverine, but still more thanDark Phoenix, one of Fox’s last and mostpoorly received X-Men movies.Thunderboltsis also grossing more than Sony’sMorbius,Madame Web, andKraven the Huntercombined.
Punisher: War Zoneis the lowest-grossing modern Marvel movie, grossing just $10 million worldwide.
TheThunderboltsbox office is additionally indicative of how far the superhero genre has progressed.Early superhero movie installments generally grossed much less globally thanThunderbolts, including 2005’sFantastic Four($333 million), 2000’sX-Men($297 million), 2003’s Hulk ($245 million), and 2003’sDaredevil($183 million). Still, in the modern age of the MCU,Thunderbolts*global box office is an outlier, and may tragically portend the downfall of the genre as a whole.
