Marvel Studios’ latest entry, Thunderbolts, is drawing both critical and box office traction, positioning itself as a long-sought win for the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) and parent Disney. On May 2, 2025, it opened to a solid $135 million domestic weekend and already crossed $310 million globally as of now, according to studio estimates and Box Office Mojo.
Directed by Jake Schreier and featuring a star-studded cast topped by Florence Pugh, Sebastian Stan, and Wyatt Russell, Thunderbolts dives into a darker, more morally complicated team-up tale a tone shift fans claim to bring the franchise back to character-driven storytelling and emotional depth.
The film has an A CinemaScore and is seeing strong midweek hold, which means positive word-of-mouth and ongoing earning potential.
ComScore and Deadline analysts have estimated that the film could reach over $800 million worldwide through the end of its run, placing it among the highest-grossing Marvel Cinematic Universe entries since Avengers: Endgame.
“This is the kind of financial and creative shock Marvel needed,” added Roth Capital Partners media analyst Eric Handler. “It shows that fans hadn’t lost confidence in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, they just wanted to see fresh and down-to-earth stories again.”
Thunderbolts follows a series of underwhelming Marvel movies such as Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania and The Marvels, which both did not meet expectations.
The success of this latest release is already generating optimism for upcoming MCU releases such as Blade and Avengers: Secret Wars.
Aside from ticket sales, Marvel will benefit from greater engagement throughout its revenue stream, including Disney+ streaming numbers, merchandise buy, and tie-in comic book publication sectors which had been hurt as the franchise’s momentum recently dissipated.
With Thunderbolts, Marvel Studios appears to have rediscovered the balance of stakes, spectacle, and humour that once defined its box office dominance rekindling excitement among fans and investors alike.
