'Thunderbolts' kicks off the summer movie season with $76 million at the
box office
[May 05, 2025]
By JAKE COYLE
NEW YORK (AP) — Marvel Studios’ “Thunderbolts" opened with $76 million
in domestic ticket sales, according to studio estimates Sunday, kicking
off the summer box office with a solid No. 1 debut that fell shy of
Marvel’s more spectacular launches.
All eyes had been on whether “Thunderbolts” — a team-up of antihero
rejects similar to “Avengers” – could restore the Walt Disney Co.
superhero factory to the kind of box office performance the studio once
enjoyed so regularly. The results – similar to the debuts of “The
Eternals” ($71 million) and “Ant-Man and the Wasp” ($75 million) —
suggested Marvel’s malaise won’t be so easy to snap out of.
Some had expected a bigger opening for “Thunderbolts” because of the
film's good word-of-mouth. Unlike most recent MCU entries, reviews (88%
fresh on Rotten Tomatoes) have been excellent for “Thunderbolts,”
directed by Jake Schreier and starring Florence Pugh, David Harbour and
Sebastian Stan. Audiences gave it an “A-” CinemaScore.
That kind of response should power the movie to strong business in the
coming weeks. Though bigger MCU films — including 2024’s “Deadpool vs.
Wolverine” (with a $211 million opening on the way to $1.34 billion
worldwide) — have monopolized movie screens immediately, “Thunderbolts”
could gather steam more steadily. Or, it could go down as another
example of Marvel struggling to rekindle its golden touch.
Marvel spent about $180 million to produced the movie, which added $86.1
million in overseas sales. The film also teases the next MCU chapter,
“The Fantastic Four: First Steps,” due out July 25.
“Marvel set the bar so high for so many years that a $76 million opening
may seem to some like it should have done $100 million or something like
that,” said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst for Comscore. “This
is a great reset. They're hitting the reset with ‘Thunderbolts." The
great reviews and the word-of-mouth should hold it (in) good stead.”
The Walt Disney Co. also might not have expected such stout competition
from Ryan Coogler’s “Sinners.” The Warner Bros. release, which had led
the box office the last two weeks, continued to hold remarkably well. In
its third week, it grossed $33 million, a dip of only 28%.
“Sinners,” a 1932-set vampire movie about bootlegging brothers (both
played by Michael B. Jordan) who open a juke joint in their Mississippi
hometown, has proven a spring sensation in theaters. It has collected
$179.7 million domestically and $236.7 million globally thus far.
Warner Bros. also nabbed third place with “A Minecraft Movie,” the
smash-hit video game adaptation. In its fifth weekend, it rung up
another $13.7 million to bring its North American gross to nearly $400
million. Worldwide, it has totaled $873.4 million. Warner Bros. added
“Block Party Edition” screenings over the weekend for a sing-along and
“meme-along” experience. The film has seen some rowdy screenings from
TikTok-inspired moviegoers.
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This image released by Marvel Studios shows, from left, David
Harbour, Hannah John-Kamen, Sebastian Stan, Florence Pugh and Wyatt
Russell in a scene from "Thunderbolts." (Disney-Marvel Studios via
AP)
 More than three years after
cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was killed on set, the Alec Baldwin
western “Rust” arrived in theaters. Its release brought some closure
to one of Hollywood’s greatest tragedies. Distributor Falling
Forward Films didn't report box office, but estimates suggested
“Rust” grossed approximately $25,000 in 115 theaters.
Following Hutchins’ death, the film’s armorer, Hannah
Gutierrez-Reed, was sentenced to prison for involuntary
manslaughter. First assistant director David Halls was sentenced to
probation after pleading no contest to negligent use of a deadly
weapon. Involuntary manslaughter charges against Baldwin, a
co-producer on the film, were twice dismissed, in 2023 and again in
2024.
As part of a wrongful death settlement, Matt Hutchins, Hutchins'
husband, was made an executive producer on the film.
Also opening over the weekend was “The Surfer,” starring Nicolas
Cage as a man trying to surf a “locals-only” Australian beach. The
Madman Films release collected a modest $674,560 from 884 theaters.
Top 10 movies by domestic box office
With final domestic figures being released Monday, this list factors
in the estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and
Canadian theaters, according to Comscore:
1. “Thunderbolts,” $76 million.
2. “Sinners," $33 million.
3. “A Minecraft Movie,” $13.7 million.
4. “The Accountant 2,” $9.5 million.
5. “Until Dawn,” $3.8 million.
6. “The Amateur,” $1.8 million.
7. “The King of Kings,” $1.7 million.
8. “Warfare,” $1.3 million.
9. “Hit: The Third Case,” $869,667.
10. “The Surfer,” $674,560.
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