Marvel Studios’ latest offering, Thunderbolts, featuring a team of anti-heroic misfits, has made a respectable debut at the global box office, raking in an estimated $162.1 million on its opening day. This figure surpasses initial projections of around $150 million, signaling a positive start for the ensemble film.
According to Box Office Mojo, Thunderbolts earned $76 million in North America and an additional $86.1 million from international markets on its first day of release. This performance indicates a promising trajectory, especially considering the positive reviews and strong word-of-mouth the film has been generating. Many critics have lauded Thunderbolts as one of the strongest entries in the Marvel Cinematic Universe in recent years.
The early success in overseas territories, particularly in South East Asia and India, coupled with a robust showing in Thursday previews, contributed significantly to the film’s higher-than-expected opening.
How Thunderbolts Compares to Other Marvel Films
Despite the strong opening, Thunderbolts‘ debut still trails behind Marvel’s previous major release, Captain America: Brave New World, which launched with a formidable $192 million earlier this year. The current benchmark for Marvel opening days remains with Deadpool and Wolverine from last year, which impressively minted over $250 million on its first day.
While catching up to the Deadpool sequel’s opening might be a tall order, industry experts believe Thunderbolts has a strong chance of outperforming Captain America: Brave New World in the long run. The Anthony Mackie and Harrison Ford-led Captain America sequel, despite its strong start, suffered from negative reviews and lackluster audience reception, leading to a significant drop in subsequent weeks and a final worldwide gross of $415 million.
Given the positive buzz surrounding Thunderbolts, trade analysts are optimistic that the film will maintain momentum and potentially exceed the total earnings of its predecessor.
Path to Profitability
According to Variety, Thunderbolts had a production budget of approximately $180 million, with an additional $100 million allocated for marketing and promotion. While the film’s opening day numbers are encouraging, it still has a considerable journey ahead to achieve profitability. However, the better-than-expected start and positive audience sentiment suggest that Thunderbolts is on a favorable course.
Thunderbolts is the final film in Phase Five of the MCU, and its performance will be closely watched as it could indicate a potential reset for Marvel after some of its recent releases have underperformed compared to the studio’s earlier successes. The coming weeks will be crucial in determining the ultimate box office fate of this team of loveable rogues.