Box Office: ‘Thunderbolts*’ Flies to Solid $76M Opening, Alec Baldwin’s ‘Rust’ Flails

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An unusual collection of individuals who were once considered outcasts have been captivating viewers and creating buzz at the movie theaters, as they’ve managed to win hearts significantly.

The Marvel and Disney film, titled Thunderbolts, climbed to the pinnacle of the domestic box office, earning approximately $76 million in its opening weekend. This figure surpassed predictions for a superhero film with less renowned characters, although the studio was hoping for around $80 million. However, the movie’s longevity will primarily depend on its appeal to audiences. With a budget of $180 million, the successor’s performance at the box office will significantly impact its long-term prospects.

Worldwide, the movie featuring a stellar cast headed by Florence Pugh and Sebastian Stan generated $86.1 million, adding up to a worldwide debut of $162.1 million, which met our predictions.

As a dedicated gamer, I can’t help but feel exhilarated about the upcoming release of Thunderbolts. This game seems to be a significant milestone in the Marvel universe, as it appears to be Kevin Feige’s bid to kickstart a new blockbuster franchise.

The film garnered widespread acclaim, earning a remarkable 95% audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes, which places it as the third-highest rated title in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, equal with Spider-Man: Far From Home and trailing slightly behind Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (98%) and Spider-Man: No Way Home (97%). On exit polls from PostTrak, audiences have given it a resounding 4.5 out of 5 stars, while CinemaScore has awarded it an A- grade.

Under the guidance of Jake Schreier, the movie unites a group of misfit individuals – some not so famous comic book characters – who realize their hidden heroic abilities when they team up. Besides Pugh portraying Yelena Belova and Stan being played by Stan (Bucky Barnes), this film also stars Wyatt Russell as John Walker, David Harbour in the role of Alexei Shostakov/Red Guardian, Lewis Pullman playing Bob, Hannah John-Kamen as Ghost, Olga Kurylenko as Taskmaster, and Julia Louis-Dreyfus as CIA director Valentine Allegra de Fontaine.

In the movie, Louis-Dreyfus plays a wicked character who sets up isolated and rejected characters from the Marvel Cinematic Universe to fight each other for her own sinister purposes. However, these characters unexpectedly join forces due to the apparent setup, and they bring along a new member named Bob, who has a mental illness that tragically worsens after he undergoes cruel testing.

The Marvel film is helping fuel the current surge in cinema attendance, as ticket sales for the weekend increased by 95% compared to last year when Marvel wasn’t involved and “The Fall Guy” started summer with underwhelming results. So far this year, revenue has grown by almost 16% compared to 2024.

(Note: I assumed that ‘this year’ refers to the current year, 2025, and corrected the year in parentheses.)

In its third week, Ryan Coogler’s surprise hit movie Sinners earned over $33 million, placing it as the second highest-grossing film. This supernatural vampire picture from Warner Bros. has been defying expectations and saw a minimal drop of 27% or less, pushing its domestic total to over $180 million.

It appears that Warner Bros.’ decision to host “lively” screenings for the Minecraft film has proven successful, as it has reclaimed its spot at third place with estimated earnings of around $13 million to $14 million. With domestic earnings nearing $400 million and global earnings approaching $1 billion, the movie’s performance is clearly impressive.

No other significant movie studio chose to launch a new wide release against Marvel’s event film. Meanwhile, Alec Baldwin’s contentious production Rust made its theatrical debut in select cinemas while also being accessible on premium Video On Demand. In its premiere, the Western struggled, particularly in theaters, pulling an estimated box office revenue of only $25,000 from 115 screens. The film was released four years after Baldwin, who co-wrote and produced the movie, unintentionally fired a weapon he believed was loaded with blanks. Unfortunately, a live round was in the chamber, and the bullet tragically killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and injured director-writer Joel Souza.

Baldwin compensated the remaining relatives of Hutchins and appointed Matthew Hutchins, the widower, as an executive producer for the project. In a recent conversation, Souza mentioned that the family initially wished to complete the film and asked him back. However, now he expresses remorse over having made the movie at all.

More to come.

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2025-05-04 18:24