Early reactions toThunderboltshave reportedly been taken as a positive sign of theMCUmovie’s potential by Disney, despite low box office projections. Recently, Marvel Studios has released several movies that have failed to live up to critical and commercial expectations, includingAnt-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania,The Marvels, andCaptain America: Brave New World. On the other hand, the massive events that represent2026’sAvengers: Doomsdayand 2027’sAvengers: Secret Warspromise to break records currently held byAvengers. Infinity WarandAvengers: Endgame. In the middle liesThunderbolts, which concludes Marvel’s Phase 5 with a long-awaited MCU crossover story.
As reported byTHR,Thunderboltsis projected to open domestically within the"$63 million to $77 million range"— a low number for an MCU summer blockbuster. However,Disney has reportedly been pleased byThunderboltstest screening audience reactions.THRalso reports that exhibitors and even rival studio execs have praisedThunderbolts*.
What The Thunderbolts* Box Office Projections And Disney’s Response Mean
Thunderbolts* Has Plenty Of Possibilities For Success At The Box Office
Thunderboltsgathers a team of MCU anti-heroes, most of whom have previously appeared in MCU movies that weren’t as well-received as Marvel and MCU fans expected. Unlike crossover movies likeThe AvengersandCaptain America: Civil War, solo movies prior toThunderboltsdon’t guarantee a strong returning audience. Instead,theThunderboltstrailers' promise of a bold and creative team-up moviemight be doing the brunt of the work enticing audiences to watchThunderboltsin theaters.
Marvel Has Already Avoided 1 Huge Mistake With The MCU’s Next Major Villain
Marvel Studios' Avengers: Doomsday cast announcement has already proven an upcoming villain will avoid repeating huge mistakes from the MCU’s history.
As Disney’s reported response tothunderboltssuggests,Thunderboltsmight surpass recent MCU movies likeCaptain America: Brave New WorldandThe Marvelsat the box office mostly by word of mouth. Low box office projections aren’t a death sentence for movies, let alone summer blockbusters likeThunderbolts*. Movies likeCaptain America: The Winter Soldier,Doctor Strange, andThor: Ragnarokhave become fan-favorite Marvel releases due to their high quality instead of merely because of pre-release anticipation.
Our Take On The Thunderbolts* Box Office Projections And Disney’s Response
Thunderbolts Could Be A Sleeper Hit For Marvel
Marvel had done a great job keepingThunderbolts*' best moments a secret. Valentina Allegra de Fontaine’s true intentions, the Thunderbolts' fight plan against Sentry, andTaskmaster’s real fateare all questions that haven’t been answered by any trailer or clip. WhenThunderbolts*hits theaters on August 08, 2025, audience reactions to the movie could lead tickets and box office projections to shoot up, andThunderbolts*' box office lifetime to extend.Thunderbolts*may not have the same brand weight asThe Fantastic Four: First StepsorAvengers: Doomsday, but its unique plot and style makes it a promising wildcard in Marvel Studios' current slate.
