Thunderbolts* might’ve won over critics, but it’s losing the battle where it counts most — the box office. The film, which was marketed as the start of Marvel’s leaner, smarter cinematic era, is now set to lose over $50 million, despite boasting an 88% score on Rotten Tomatoes and solid audience buzz. In fact, when the film hit theatres, Disney CEO Bob Iger called it the “first and best” example of Marvel’s new strategy — prioritizing quality over quantity after years of fatigue and overextension. But after grossing just $371 million globally, Thunderbolts* has become one of the lowest-grossing entries in the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe. It’s a sobering reminder that critical acclaim and franchise branding aren’t guarantees anymore. As Fandango’s Shawn Robbins told Variety: “We’re in a new era where not every Marvel movie is going to hit $1 billion.”

For perspective, before the pandemic, Marvel was nearly bulletproof. Nineteen out of 22 films cracked $500 million globally. Since then, only six out of thirteen have done the same. Even Captain America: Brave New World, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, and The Marvels had the excuse of poor reviews. Thunderbolts*, on the other hand, had momentum — and still couldn’t climb out of the red, which is a little bit depressing, because the film truly was well made, and well worth checking out.

Thunderbolts* closed out its theatrical run in just over a month — a short stint by MCU standards — and struggled to “leg out” in international markets. Even with a reduced production budget of $180 million (plus another $100 million for marketing), Thunderbolts* needed to cross $425 million worldwide to break even. That’s not happening. Which puts pressure on Disney, even if Marvel’s merchandising and Disney+ rollout soften the blow.

Why Did ‘Thunderbolts*’ Fail?

Unlike earlier MCU underdogs like Guardians of the Galaxy, which turned obscure characters into household names, Thunderbolts* hinged on heroes and anti-heroes from underseen Disney+ series and Black Widow. That brand baggage might have made it harder for casual fans to care — especially when the film didn’t feature marquee characters like Spider-Man or Doctor Strange. Still, Marvel isn’t panicking. The studio already confirmed the Thunderbolts will return in 2026’s Avengers: Doomsday, giving Disney a second shot at justifying the investment. If audiences skipped this chapter, the hope is they’ll stream it on Disney+ before the next big event.

Thunderbolts* will arrive on Disney+ in the near future.

via Collider