Despite dropping a significant amount in one day,Thunderbolts*' Rotten Tomatoes score still breaksMCUrecords.Jake Schreier’sThunderbolts*wraps up the MCU’s Phase 5 and sets the stage for an exciting Phase 6. Phase 5 has been a particularly rough patch for the MCU, as the franchise reached new box office lows with movies such asAnt-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania,The Marvels, andCaptain America: Brave New World. Fortunately, Phase 5 seems to be on track to redeem itself with its last installment.
Two days before its worldwide release date,Thunderboltsholds a critics score of 88%onRotten Tomatoes, seven points below its 95% debut score. At 95%,Thunderbolts' debut Tomatometer scorestood only one point below the highest-rated MCU movie of all time,Black Panther, which still boasts a 96% critics score. At 88%,Thunderboltscurrently stands below Doctor Strange (89%) andAnt-Man and the Wasp(87%). Despite the drop,Thunderboltsis still Certified Fresh.
What The Thunderbolts* Rotten Tomatoes Score Means
Thunderbolts*' Rotten Tomatoes Debut Score Is A Feat In An Of Itself
Rotten Tomatoes scores tend to fluctuate the most throughout each movie’s first couple of weeks, but Phase 5 movies have struggled to increase their critics score after their release. For instance,Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3debuted at 81% and remains at 82%,Deadpool & Wolverinedebuted at 79% and remains at 78%, andCaptain America: Brave New Worlddebuted at 48% and holds the exact same score. While this trend signified bad news for movies likeCaptain America: Brave New WorldandAnt-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, it suggestsThunderbolts*' seven-point drop likely doesn’t entail a bigger decline anytime soon.
Debuting at 95% isn’t a feat many MCU projects achieve. On the small screen,Daredevil: Born Againholds an 87% critics scoreafter debuting with a 78% score, andAgatha All Alongholds an 84% score after debuting with a 76%. The only Phase 5 title to surpassThunderbolts*' Tomatometer isYour Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, which debuted with an incredible 100% and currently holds a 97% critics score.
Our Take On The Thunderbolts* Rotten Tomatoes Score
Thunderbolts*' Positive Reception Is Good News For Phase 6
The long-awaitedThe Fantastic Four: First Steps,Avengers: Doomsday, andAvengers: Secret WarsfollowThunderbolts*' closure of Phase 5.With expectations rising, the last thing Marvel Studios needs before Phase 6 begins is a negative reaction to Phase 5’s final installment. Fortunately,Thunderbolts*delivers a solid standalone movie that can be enjoyed completely on its own, but simultaneously lays the foundations for future crossovers. This may be exactly what Phase 5 lacked, at least since 2023’sGuardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.
