Thunderbolts Box Office Flops Again, Drops 56% in Second Weekend

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Over the past weekend, I noticed that the earnings for the revamped “Thunderbolts,” now known as “New Avengers,” were once again falling short compared to their initial release for their second week.

Initially, I had high hopes that the film would rake in around $35 million during its second weekend, but as time went by, that figure got revised down to $33.1 million. However, when the actual numbers rolled in, it turned out to be even lower than expected at $32.4 million, marking a significant decrease of about 56.4% compared to its opening weekend.

You’ll see that my prediction for the second weekend box office was accurate at $32.4M, as this figure aligns with Shang-Chi’s earnings, which saw a higher Friday and a second weekend gross of $34.7M. It might seem puzzling how Thunderbolts could have a higher weekend if its Friday intake was lower, but remember, sometimes industry tactics like creating a sense of urgency or fear of missing out (FOMO) are used to entice fans to attend the movie. However, just as in the first week, these strategies didn’t seem to work effectively for Thunderbolts.

Initially, it was forecasted that the opening weekend would earn more, as reported by the trades, but ultimately, the actual earnings were less, totaling at $74.3 million – making it the second-lowest box office opening for a Marvel Cinematic Universe film.

That second weekend is also the fifth-lowest in MCU history.

Superhero fatigue? No. M-She-U fatigue

Commonly, the “blame game” is in action. Once more, the term “superhero burnout” is being brought up, along with the argument that Marvel Studios and Kevin Feige have been overworked (though Bob Iger suggests this is a fresh era for Marvel).

Instead, the issue isn’t an overabundance of superhero stories or burnout, but rather the poor quality of most productions because of their uninspired creative decisions.

Women don’t care

In essence, “Thunderbolts” serves as a sequel to the relatively unpopular “Black Widow,” starring Florence Pugh as Yelena. This film and its promotion heavily revolve around her character. However, it appears that the flop of “The Marvels” demonstrates that female viewers may not be interested in female-led superhero films. The same goes for “Madame Web.” Instead, women seem to prefer watching a muscular Hugh Jackman without his shirt. This strategy didn’t succeed with Star Wars either.

Why not more Sebastian Stan as Winter Soldier? Or more from The Sentry?

Disney expanded Snow White’s theater count by over 900 during Thunderbolts’ second weekend, hoping to attract a female audience for Mother’s Day since they weren’t interested in the New Avengers. However, it seemed that the choice of actresses like Rachel Zegler and Brie Larson didn’t resonate well with women. It would have been wiser for Disney to maintain Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith in theaters instead of pulling it early due to Thunderbolts.

Kevin Feige clueless

Moreover, my take on this rebranding to New Avengers strikes me as a mere jest, revealing how disconnected Kevin Feige seems from the fanbase. The original Avengers were iconic in comics, featuring Iron Man, Captain America, Spider-Man, Wolverine, and others – it’s like combining Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Tom Holland, and Hugh Jackman. Yet, instead of capitalizing on this powerful team, Feige proposes an unlikely ensemble by rebranding a group of unknowns as the New Avengers, presumably to boost the film’s sales? This is hard to swallow, especially in light of other post-Endgame creative decisions. The number of misses is astounding, leading one to wonder if they are truly incompetent or if this has been a calculated move all along.

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2025-05-13 01:59