Thunderbolts: Marvel’s Next Big Hit?

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A screening of Marvel Studio’s forthcoming film, Thunderbolts, is said to have elicited exceptionally favorable reviews, possibly indicating a significant boost for the franchise that’s been experiencing some difficulties. A Reddit user who allegedly attended a viewing close to Burbank around six weeks back reported that viewers were highly impressed with the collaboration of anti-heroes, commending its character growth, team chemistry, and creative portrayal of the Sentry/Void (Lewis Pullman) narrative. This extraordinarily positive reception is crucial for Marvel Studios at a time when they’ve been grappling with decreasing box office earnings and dwindling audience engagement following a series of less-than-impressive releases, particularly Captain America: Brave New World, which has struggled since its February premiere.

User Spiritual-Smoke-4605 suggests that if you’re growing tired of the ‘Capesh-t’ genre because everything seems repetitive, you might want to give this one a try. They find the characters’ journey intriguing, the team dynamics are reminiscent of Guardians of the Galaxy, and the way Sentry/Void is incorporated into the story is captivating.”

This individual has built a reputation for making accurate predictions within online communities regarding movies like Captain America: Brave New World, which lends credence to their current appraisal of Thunderbolts.

The Reddit user predicted that the upcoming movie, “Thunderbolts,” will perform exceptionally well at the box office over the coming weeks following its release. They are optimistic about its critical and audience reception, stating that they believe the Tomatometer score will be above 90%, although they admit there’s always a chance of error. The user was part of an audience who seemed to enjoy the film immensely, praising it highly after the screening, which indicates positive early reactions for the movie and suggests that it could help Marvel reverse its recent box office slump by generating strong word-of-mouth buzz.

How Thunderbolts* Could Become Marvel’s New Sleeper Hit

The positive test screenings are taking place at a time when there are concerning predictions for the movie “Thunderbolts.” Initial industry predictions suggest that its opening weekend could earn between $65-85 million within U.S. territories. Although these figures would be considered strong for most films, they paint a worrying picture for a production with a reported budget of $200 million, given the underwhelming domestic performance of “Captain America: Brave New World.” Despite being on screens for eight weeks and boasting a well-known franchise name, it has failed to surpass the $200 million mark domestically.

Brave New World” is one of the four lowest-earning films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) within the U.S., trailing behind only “Ant-Man” (2015), “Thor” (2011), and the pandemic-impacted “Black Widow” (2021). Critics’ reviews were equally unimpressed, with the film receiving a rating of approximately 48% on Rotten Tomatoes. This suggests that Marvel needs to rekindle audience excitement and critical praise for its future projects, which puts a great deal of weight on the upcoming “Thunderbolts” to be both successful commercially and critically.

Comparing the initial screening of Marvel’s first “Guardians of the Galaxy” movie to history is intriguing. Just like in 2014, this film initially faced doubts from industry experts about its success due to its unconventional characters, a talking raccoon and a sentient tree. However, against all odds, the movie opened domestically with $94.3 million and maintained strong popularity, eventually earning $333.7 million domestically and $772.8 million globally. This was largely due to fantastic word-of-mouth and positive critical reception.

The importance of Thunderbolts is heightened by its confirmed ties to Avengers: Doomsday (2026), as many of the main actors have already been announced to reprise their roles in this installment, which is nearly the end of the Multiverse Saga. During a recent five-hour live stream from Marvel, it was confirmed that both Pullman’s Sentry and Robert Downey Jr.’s Doctor Doom will be part of the ensemble movie, thus creating a direct storyline connection between the two films. This interlinking makes Thunderbolts not just an optional side story, but crucial viewing that sets up character arcs and relationships that are likely to have significant repercussions in the larger narrative.

Thunderbolts* arrives in theaters on May 2nd.

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2025-04-09 11:10