After three weeks in theaters, the latest Marvel Cinematic Universe release,Thunderbolts*, has now made twiceThe Marvels' box office in the United States. It stars Florence Pugh, Sebastian Stan, David Harbour, Hannah John-Kamen, Wyatt Russell, Lewis Pullman, Olga Kurylenko, and Julia Louis-Dreyfus. Featuring an ensemble cast of antiheroes and villains, the film deals with themes of mental health, self-worth, and finding a greater purpose.
The Marvelslikewise featured three central leads: Brie Larson as Carol Danvers/Captain Marvel, Teyonah Parris as Monica Rambeau/Photon, and Iman Vellani as Kamala Khan/Ms. Marvel. It simultaneously acted as a sequel toCaptain Marvel,WandaVision, andMs. Marvel. Though bothThe MarvelsandThunderbolts*received fresh critic scores onRotten Tomatoes, their financial fates are less similar.
PerBox Office Mojo, the domestic gross ofThunderboltsas of Jul 28, 2025, is $173.8 million, whilethat ofThe Marvels’entire runis $84.5 million. Alternatively,Thunderboltsis sitting at $355.5 million globally, andThe Marvelsraked in $206.1 million globally. Interestingly, international box office sales made up 59% ofThe Marvels' gross but only 51.1% ofThunderbolts*' gross.
What Thunderbolts* Doubling The Marvels' Box Office Means
While Not A Billion Dollar Hit, Thunderbolts* Is Not A Flop
WhileThunderbolts*isn’t on track to have a showing as strong asAvengers: Endgameor even last year’sDeadpool & Wolverine, it’s past the trappings of the MCU’s lowest earners. Aside from passingThe Marvelsboth domestically and globally, the film currently outranksCaptain America: Brave New World’sweek three domestic haul of $168 million.It’s unlikely that the film will be a major financial success, but it has a shot at breaking even.
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania
$388 million
$214.5 million
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
$250 million
$358.9 million
$374 million
$84.5 million
$200 million
$636.7 million
$180 million
$200.5 million
$173.8 million
The break-even figure forThunderbolts*, which has a reported budget of $180 million, would be around $450 million, as that number is typically determined by doubling the budget and adding roughly $100 million for marketing. Since the film has a global gross of $355.5 million and has been in theaters for less than a month, it has a shot at hitting the necessary threshold. However, that would require it to have long legs in theaters.As we head into the summer blockbuster season, it’s uncertain whetherThunderbolts*will have the longevity to be profitable.
Our Take On Thunderbolts* Doubling The Marvels' Box Office
Word-Of-Mouth Helped Thunderbolts* Avoid The Marvels' Fate
Thunderboltsmay not reach the same level of financial success as its MCU predecessors; however, the positive response it has received from critics and fans has given it a slight boost. Even if that isn’t enough to make the film a bonafide hit, this positivity could help repairMarvel’s damaged reputationamong moviegoers. Either way,Thunderbolts—a movie about underdogs—has the potential to be an underdog financial success.
