*Thunderbolts\** is showing impressive box office resilience for an MCU film, now grossing $272.2 million globally after two weekends in theaters. The Florence Pugh-led action movie added $33.1 million domestically and $34 million internationally, maintaining its position at the top of the box office charts. This marks a 44% drop from its opening weekend—a stronger second-week performance compared to *Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2* (-52%), *Captain America: Brave New World* (-54%), and *Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania* (-54%). So far, *Thunderbolts\** has earned an estimated $128.5 million in the U.S. and $143.7 million overseas.

Marvel amplified its promotional strategy last week, even rebranding the film officially as *New Avengers*. The marketing extended into real-world narrative tactics, highlighting the on-screen tension between Sam Wilson’s Avengers and the Thunderbolts team. This strategic move appears aimed at sustaining public interest ahead of the pivotal Phase 6 debut, *The Fantastic Four: First Steps*, set for release this July.

According to *Variety*, Disney invested $180 million in production costs and an additional $100 million in marketing for *Thunderbolts\**, meaning the film must continue performing strongly worldwide to achieve theatrical profitability. During a recent earnings call, Disney CEO Bob Iger praised *Thunderbolts\** as “the first and best example” of Marvel’s renewed focus on prioritizing quality over quantity in its cinematic output.

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The film launched with a solid $76 million domestically, which is slightly above *Eternals* ($71 million) and *Ant-Man and the Wasp* ($75 million), though below most other MCU openings. While not a blockbuster-level start, positive audience and critic reception could help extend its theater run. IGN’s Thunderbolts\* review awarded the film a 7/10, noting: “Thunderbolts\* has, like its sort-of-not-really antagonist, both a dark half and a light half. But only one of them is actually pretty great (hint: it’s the one that involves plumbing the depths of the characters’ worst memories).”

Disney is hoping this critical momentum can help *Thunderbolts\** avoid the steep decline seen by *Captain America: Brave New World* and signal a turnaround for the MCU's theatrical performance following several underwhelming releases. Looking ahead, 2026 will feature major titles including *Avengers: Doomsday* (May 1, 2026) and *Spider-Man: Brand New Day* (July 31, 2026), followed by *Avengers: Secret Wars* on May 7, 2027.

Elsewhere at the global box office, *Sinners* has reached $283.3 million, while *A Minecraft Movie* continues its strong run at $909.6 million after six weekends in theaters.