Thunderbolts* strikes early box office gold

Marvel's latest offering Thunderbolts* has burst onto the scene with a promising start, raking in $32M on its opening day, including a hefty $11.5M from Thursday night previews. This figure points towards a healthy $70M-$75M opening weekend across 4330 cinemas, a familiar trajectory for post-Covid MCU origin stories.

The promising box office performance of Thunderbolts

Early buzz is strong with "great reviews and immediate thumbs-up from fans". While it's too soon to tell if it will reach the heights of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3's impressive opening, the initial numbers are certainly encouraging. Notably, Thunderbolts' opening weekend alone is set to eclipse the entire box office takings from the first weekend of May last year, highlighting the impact of the earlier strikes and less impactful releases.

Meanwhile, Warner Bros' Sinners continues its strong run, anticipating a $30M-$35M third weekend, demonstrating impressive staying power. A Minecraft Movie also holds steady in its fifth week, nearing the $400M mark.

Thunderbolts' strong debut is a "pivotal moment for Marvel" as it launches a new franchise centred around a band of "dysfunctional outsiders". Led by Florence Pugh and Sebastian Stan the film has garnered a remarkable 95 percent audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, tying with Spider-Man: Far From Home as the third-highest rated MCU film. Critics are also singing its praises with one review noting "a disarming freshness to this first-time assembly not to mention something even more unexpected heart".

With positive word of mouth and strong audience reactions Thunderbolts* looks set to be a key player in the summer box office, proving that the appetite for communal cinema experiences remains strong.