Regardless of favorable feedback, it appears that Thunderbolts* is on track to become a financial flop within the Marvel Cinematic Universe. An analysis published in Variety highlights the film’s lackluster earnings and potential ramifications, pointing out that Thunderbolts* is currently one of the least profitable MCU films ever made. To date, it has only managed to gross $377.6 million worldwide. According to the article, Thunderbolts* needs to make an additional $425 million in order to break even, a goal that seems increasingly unattainable given its dwindling box office performance. As such, Thunderbolts* marks Marvel’s second financial disappointment of the year, following Captain America: Brave New World*.
In their attempt to regain momentum, Marvel might ponder over two strategies. One strategy could involve adopting a “go big or go home” approach, where the studio focuses solely on producing films featuring top-tier characters guaranteed to draw massive box office returns (such as Spider-Man, Avengers, X-Men, etc.). Additionally, Marvel might opt for reducing production costs by making movies with smaller budgets more likely to yield a profit.
2025’s summer movie season started off with a bang as Thunderbolts* debuted early in May, earning $74.3 million during its first weekend. Despite positive buzz (an 88% score on Rotten Tomatoes), the film struggled to maintain its box office momentum. Within just a fortnight, it was surpassed by new releases such as Final Destination Bloodlines, Lilo & Stitch, and Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning. These movies either outperformed expectations or set fresh records. By the weekend of June 6th-8th, Thunderbolts* had slipped to 10th place domestically.
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Currently, Thunderbolts has surpassed only Captain America: The First Avenger (with earnings of $370.5 million), The Incredible Hulk ($264.7 million), and The Marvels ($206.1 million) in the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s list of highest-grossing films worldwide. This year, Captain America: Brave New World raked in a total of $415.1 million globally during its box office run.
It’s unfortunate to see the movie “Thunderbolts” struggle financially at the box office, particularly since many fans thought it was an enjoyable and well-crafted addition to the MCU. From a storytelling viewpoint, this film has been one of Marvel’s stronger releases in recent times, skillfully blending entertainment genres with weighty themes. However, its poor performance suggests that changes may be necessary for future projects. Lowering budgets might be an option, but it should be noted that “Thunderbolts” was already produced on a relatively lower budget compared to some of Marvel’s Multiverse Saga contemporaries ($180 million). While Marvel could potentially reduce costs slightly further, there is a limit to how much can be cut from a high-profile studio blockbuster like this one, which requires extensive marketing efforts to generate global success.
Marvel is making an effort to reduce the number of films and TV series they release annually, recognizing that following the complex storyline of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) had become somewhat like doing homework. Kevin Feige, the head of Marvel Studios, decided it was more important to focus on quality rather than quantity. The upcoming schedule for the Multiverse Saga includes titles such as Avengers: Doomsday, Spider-Man: Brand New Day, and Avengers: Secret Wars, which are expected to be big box office successes when they’re released. This focus on major characters might not sit well with fans who have enjoyed seeing lesser-known characters like Shang-Chi and the Eternals in the spotlight, but even die-hard MCU fans may admit that the franchise had become too spread out with too many movies and shows. As a business, Marvel can’t afford to keep losing money on its films, so focusing on projects centered around marquee heroes could help ensure those projects turn a profit. Smaller characters could still appear alongside popular ones like Spider-Man or Wolverine.
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2025-06-12 22:39