Thunderbolts Box Office Disaster: How Much Did Marvel Lose?

Regarding its public response, the film Thunderbolts has garnered numerous favorable reviews since it was slated for release in 2025. Even our critic Eric Eisenberg awarded it 3.5 stars out of 5 in his review, labeling it as “one of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s stronger films from recent years.” In contrast, the financial performance of this 36th MCU production has been disappointing, resulting in substantial losses for Marvel Studios at the box office.

Six weeks following the theater release of Thunderbolts*, the film has grossed a total of $371 million globally. To clarify, its production budget was lower than usual for an MCU movie, with costs amounting to approximately $180 million for production and around $100 million for marketing. However, according to Variety, Thunderbolts* required earnings of $425 million just to cover its expenses, making it one of the commercial flops in Marvel Studios’ history.

More Thunderbolts* Coverage

The author of “Thunderbolts” (The New Avengers) recently expressed a thought-provoking idea about Bucky running for Congress, an opinion that I believe we can all concur with.

The writer of “Thunderbolts” (The New Avengers) recently made a convincing argument regarding Bucky’s congressional run, an idea that I think we can all agree on.

Or simply:
In “Thunderbolts,” the author put forth a compelling argument for Bucky running for Congress—an opinion we can all get behind.

The Artist for Thunderbolts’ Concept Art Reveals an Alternate Suit Design for David Harbour’s Red Guardian, and I Find It Quite Attractive: ‘More Military Operations and Less Santa-like’

Among Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) films, Thunderbolts* currently ranks second to last in box office earnings, with The Marvels holding the lowest position at $206.1 million. This is interesting because it was released shortly after Captain America: Brave New World, which received mixed-to-negative feedback and didn’t perform well financially either, earning just $415 million worldwide. Yet, despite receiving positive responses, Thunderbolts* didn’t rake in the big bucks. So, what caused this film to underperform?

It’s surprising to ponder this, given Marvel Studios transformed lesser-known characters such as Iron Man, Thor, Captain America, and the Guardians of the Galaxy into common household names. However, it makes me question if their popularity was due to their lack of initial recognition. The exception here is Bucky Barnes, who’s been a significant figure in the MCU since Captain America: The First Avenger. Admittedly, Ghost made her debut in 2018’s Ant-Man and the Wasp, but she had not reappeared until now. The majority of the established protagonists were either introduced in Black Widow, which suffered significant box office losses due to the pandemic, or one of the Disney+ series exclusive to subscribers.

It’s possible that a lack of interest in the movie “Thunderbolts” among some viewers might have been due to their unfamiliarity with the characters. Additionally, calling it “The New Avengers” didn’t seem to attract those who missed its opening weekend, as Marvel quickly utilized

For supporters of this team, there’s still plenty more to look forward to! The New Avengers will make their comeback next year in “Avengers: Doomsday“, and it’s quite possible that they’ll reappear again in the 2027 film titled “Avengers: Secret Wars“.

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2025-06-13 02:07