Marvel’s Thunderbolts* Tops Box Office, But Sinners’ Insane Streak Continues Unstoppable

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One of the major plotlines leading up to this weekend revolved around a scarcity of IMAX screens and a struggle for space between Jake Schreier’s movie Thunderbolts and Ryan Coogler’s film Sinners. Given the impressive performance of Sinners on the big screen, it was regrettable to see it being displaced by Thunderbolts from large-format screens. However, this issue has been partially alleviated in recent days with news that Sinners will be back on IMAX screens in mid-May – for now, the two films are actually coexisting well at the box office by showing in the same cinemas.

The movie titled Thunderbolts has continued the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s run of top-grossing films, yet surprisingly, it hasn’t led to a situation where one film’s success comes at the expense of another, as Ryan Coogler’s vampire film experienced only a modest decline in its weekend-to-weekend box office earnings. Take a look at the complete Top 10 chart and stick around for my analysis afterward.

Thunderbolts* Is The Second Marvel Cinematic Universe Movie In A Row With An Eight-Figure Opening Weekend

2025 didn’t off to a great start for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, especially since next year brings the release of the second two-part epic, Avengers: Doomsday. The film Captain America: Brave New World, directed by Julius Onah, was released over Valentine’s Day weekend in February. Unfortunately, the movie didn’t do well. Before its release, it received negative buzz, and while it had a strong opening weekend, it quickly lost momentum in subsequent weeks. Now that its run has ended, it ranks sixth from the bottom among MCU films at the global box office.

Thunderbolts* has made its entrance with the aim of shifting the storyline, but it seems to be beginning on a relatively average note, showing promise for further development.

As I follow along, it appears that the latest addition to the superhero franchise raked in $76 million in its initial three days, placing it among the opening earnings of Cate Shortland’s Black Widow (released in 2021 with $80.4 million) and Peyton Reed’s Ant-Man and The Wasp (summer 2018 with $75.4 million). This is a significant milestone since, apart from the year 2021 when the industry was recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic, Marvel Studios has not had two blockbusters in a row open with earnings only in the eight-figure range twice before, the last time being 2014.

In the year 2025, this movie holds the third largest opening weekend of the year, surpassed only by Captain America’s “Brave New World” and Jared Hess’ “A Minecraft Movie.” The Hollywood Reporter mentions that it shares a similar production budget with its MCU predecessor, which is $180 million.

Globally, excluding the U.S. and Canada, the movie titled “Thunderbolts” has earned approximately $86.1 million in foreign markets so far. This adds up to a worldwide total of $162.1 million. While this is an impressive figure, it still needs to generate more revenue if it aims to cover its costs fully.

If comparisons were being made, it would seem that the newest Marvel Cinematic Universe film is not on par with Captain America: Brave New World in terms of buzz. However, this isn’t the case as Thunderbolts has received a more favorable response. Critics have given it a positive review ahead of its release (I awarded it 3.5 stars in my TopMob review), and audiences have shown their approval with an “A-” CinemaScore rating. There could be some good word spreading among viewers.

There remains uncertainty if it’ll be sufficient, but let me clarify: Although Thunderbolts is generating excitement, there’s a broader pattern in Marvel movies that shows them often struggling in their second weekend compared to their opening, which could be due to the short gap between cinema release and home video/streaming availability on Disney+. I assure you, its second week performance will be a key topic in my box office analysis next Sunday.

After Its Magical Second Weekend, Sinners Once Again Has A Sub-30 Percent Drop

Discussing the trend of weekend-to-weekend decreases in box office sales, let’s shift our focus to the crime/horror film titled “Sinners“. Remarkably, seven days ago, this film starring Michael B. Jordan managed an extraordinary feat for spring or summer releases by only dropping 5% between its initial ticket sales and the subsequent Friday-to-Sunday. At first glance, it appeared as if the movie was cashing in on its moment given the approaching competition from “Thunderbolts*“. However, the true story is that the film directed by Ryan Coogler is holding its own quite well alongside the superhero blockbuster.

Initially, there was an assumption that a significant portion of the core audience for Sinners might choose to watch the latest Marvel Cinematic Universe film this weekend. However, the actual numbers reveal only a 33% decrease in ticket sales for this mixed genre production. After earning $48 million in its opening weekend, it has now added an additional $33 million to its domestic earnings, bringing its total in the region to $179.7 million so far. This is quite impressive for an entirely original film in contemporary Hollywood, and it underscores both Ryan Coogler’s prowess as a storyteller on the big screen and Michael B. Jordan’s status as a leading star.

Globally, outside the U.S. and Canada, my movie, Sinners, hasn’t been setting the box office on fire, raking in only $57 million. However, it’s still managed to earn a substantial $236.7 million worldwide, placing it fifth globally for 2025. That’s quite an achievement, as it’s now surpassed Marc Webb’s Snow White. It might not make it to fourth place, with Captain America: Brave New World‘s impressive $415 million earnings holding that spot, but just being in fifth is something I’m quite proud of.

Seven days from now, an exciting event is scheduled on the 2025 movie release calendar. Joe Carnahan’s latest action flick, titled “Shadow Force,” will make its debut. This captivating film boasts the talents of Kerry Washington and Omar Sy in leading roles. Don’t forget to join us right here at TopMob next Sunday for a comprehensive review of this highly anticipated movie!

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2025-05-04 22:40