A new Marvel Cinematic Universe report shines more light on the Thunderbolts* box office results and what this could mean for future Marvel Studios productions. While The Multiverse Saga is getting closer to its end, Marvel Studios’ journey from 2021 has been up and down for them when it comes to their critical and financial success. Even though there have been MCU movies in Phases 4 and 5 that have been well-received both in reviews and commercially, some of the critical winners have not been box office hits for Marvel Studios, like the Thunderbolts* movie.
In a new report from Variety, which dives deeper into Thunderbolts*’s box office performance, the trade addressed the Phase 5 finale’s success, or lack thereof. The movie reportedly cost $180 million to produce and “closer” to $100 million to market, and needed to have made $425 million worldwide to break even. However, the Thunderbolts* box office total is currently sitting at $377 million. Variety also spoke with numerous analysts about Thunderbolts*’s commercial results when it comes to the MCU:
Shawn Robbins (Fandango’s movie analytics director): “Marvel’s calculus has changed. We’re in a new era where not every Marvel movie is going to hit $1 billion.”
Jeff Bock (Exhibitor Relations analyst): “These lower-tier comic book movies aren’t cinematic slam dunks anymore. Thunderbolts*’ wrapping up after just a month in theaters is also a concern. These films aren’t legging out like previous iterations.”
David A. Gross (Franchise Entertainment Research analyst): “Studios are working hard to bring the high-end budgets down. We’re going to see less over-spending than the years after the pandemic.”
What Thunderbolts*’s Box Office And The Marvel Report Means
While the Thunderbolts* post-credits scene and ending may have led to the team having a larger place in the MCU, it doesn’t erase the fact that a property like the Thunderbolts, one of Marvel’s more obscure groups, was always going to be a challenge to market to a general audience. Despite being a powerful, crucial story for the characters, Thunderbolts* centers on the less important characters of the MCU, a factor that may be why audience members didn’t show up for the Phase 5 installment. That is also likely why Marvel Studios very quickly revealed The New Avengers тιтle following Thunderbolts*’s premiere, hoping that it would raise more interest.
With the end results for Thunderbolts* at the box office, the chances of a Thunderbolts* 2 movie are most definitely slim to none at this point. What the MCU may start doing more in future phases when it comes to building more awareness and investment into characters like the Thunderbolts* players is to have them featured in bigger тιтles that are more guaranteed to be financial hits. That can be from MCU franchises like the Avengers movies or Spider-Man sequels that have always proven to be successful at the box office.
Our Take On Thunderbolts*’s Box Office And The Marvel Report
While it is disappointing to see that Thunderbolts* didn’t become a commercial hit for Marvel Studios, as this was one of the stronger stories in The Multiverse Saga, it’ll be interesting to see how the future of the franchise is structured going forward, especially with what тιтles will even get greenlit. With the focus on quality over quanтιтy, there will definitely be more careful decisions when it comes to budgets for future MCU movies, and even TV shows. Despite their box office results, fans can still look forward to seeing the Thunderbolts* characters in 2026 when they return for Avengers: Doomsday.
Source: Variety
