‘Thunderbolts*’ Scores Record-Breaking Tuesday Opening for MCU Film

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The latest addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, ‘Thunderbolts‘, is generating quite a buzz at cinemas. On its debut Tuesday, it managed an impressive $7.6 million within the U.S., marking a substantial 48% increase from Monday’s earnings. This significant leap sets a new record for the largest Monday-to-Tuesday jump in MCU history. Notably, this is particularly notable given that the film centers around a team of less prominent antiheroes.

Under the guidance of director Jake Schreier, the film titled ‘Thunderbolts’ assembles a hard-hitting cast, with Florence Pugh playing Yelena Belova, Sebastian Stan portraying Bucky Barnes, David Harbour as Red Guardian, and others such as Wyatt Russell and Hannah John-Kamen. The plot revolves around these unlikely allies, who find themselves in a lethal predicament and are compelled to collaborate for a critical mission. This innovative approach, combining witty humor with realistic action sequences, has struck a chord with viewers, receiving an ‘A-‘ CinemaScore and a 94% audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

To better understand this situation, I analyzed the opening day increases for other Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) films on Tuesdays. For instance, ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ in 2021 experienced a significant 36% surge, earning $24.1 million, primarily due to its devoted fanbase and the excitement surrounding the multiverse. Similarly, ‘Avengers: Endgame’ in 2019 saw a 32% increase with $33.1 million, largely because it concluded a decade-long saga. Both films were colossal successes, but their percentage growth pales in comparison to ‘Thunderbolts’.

Conversely, the movie ‘Eternals’ in 2021 saw only a modest increase of 22%, grossing $7.1 million, due to its complex mythology failing to resonate with audiences. In comparison, ‘The Marvels’ in 2023 experienced an even more lackluster performance, with a minimal 18% rise and earnings of $4.8 million, signifying its relatively cold reception.

On its initial Tuesday, THUNDERBOLTS brought in $7.6 million, marking a 48% increase from the previous day. This impressive leap makes it the MCU film with the greatest first Tuesday revenue boost to date.

— Cosmic Marvel (@cosmic_marvel) May 7, 2025

The ‘Thunderbolts’ stand out due to their focus on characters that deviate from the usual heroic archetypes, such as Taskmaster and Ghost, who were previously secondary characters in movies like ‘Black Widow’ and ‘Ant-Man and the Wasp’. Despite this unconventional cast, the film has garnered positive buzz and critical acclaim, with a 88% ‘Fresh’ rating on Rotten Tomatoes, indicating that it resonates strongly with audiences.

The movie’s opening weekend earnings of $76 million were decent but relatively small compared to typical MCU performances. It fell short of ‘Captain America: Brave New World’ ($88.8 million) and is a long way from ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ ($211 million). However, its strong Tuesday performance suggests it has lasting appeal, particularly as there isn’t much competition until ‘Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning’ and ‘Lilo & Stitch’ arrive in May. Marvel’s innovative strategy of renaming billboards as ‘The New Avengers’ could also generate more interest, linking it to the upcoming ‘Avengers: Doomsday’.

Currently, ‘Thunderbolts’ is demonstrating that the less prominent characters in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) can deliver a powerful blow. The remarkable leap it made on Tuesday suggests that viewers are eager to watch it, and I’m intrigued to see if it can sustain this momentum.

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2025-05-08 10:30