Since the end of Phase III and the staggering box office revenue of Avengers: Endgame (around $2.8 billion), the Marvel Cinematic Universe seems to be on a roller coaster ride. Despite some notable successes (Spider-Man: No Way Home, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Deadpool & Wolverine), the MCU suffers from chronic irregularity. Titles such as Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, The Marvels, and Captain America: Brave New World have posted disappointing performances, even causing Disney to lose money. It was in this context that the film Thunderbolts* was released on April 30, 2025. And, while the numbers are average for the moment, Disney CEO Bob Iger is hopeful for the future of the House of Ideas.
Thunderbolts*: Average box office debut, but good word of mouth
Thunderbolts* revolves around a group of antiheroes who are far less well-known than the traditional icons of the MCU. Some are even from series broadcast on Disney +. This probably explains the film's average start at the box office. According to IMDB, Thunderbolts* only grossed $76 million in its opening weekend in the United States. Worldwide, it earned around $160 million, on an estimated non-promotional budget of $180 million. To be profitable, Thunderbolts* needs to reach at least $500-600 million in revenue. A difficult goal, but not unattainable.
On the one hand, the film is winning over critics and audiences (88% on Rotten Tomatoes, A — CinemaScore). On the other hand, Marvel's latest offering has a clear path until the release of Disney's live-action remake, Lilo & Stitch (out May 21, 2025). Finally, Kevin Feige's marketing strategy regarding the film's title change—it's now been called *New Avengers since the end of its first weekend—seems to be paying off. Indeed, American theaters saw attendance jump by 49% the day after the official announcement.
After Thunderbolts*, Disney CEO announces a new strategy for Marvel
Recently, Bob Iger reviewed Disney's strategy since the beginning of the decade. As a reminder, Disney's current CEO left the company in 2020 at the height of his fame. But, faced with the risky choices of his successor, Bob Chapek, he returned to the helm in 2022 to turn things around. His replacement's strategy consisted primarily of multiplying projects to feed the Disney+ platform. The result: a saturation of programs, accompanied by a general decline in quality. For Marvel, this resulted in the phenomenon of "superhero fatigue" and some spectacular box office disappointments, notably The Marvels.
When he returned to the forefront, Bob Iger imposed a rethinking of production methods in all of the group's divisions. A new direction fully embraced by Kevin Feige, the boss of Marvel, who had long wanted to slow down the number of projects to prioritize quality. A turnaround in strategy that is finally being felt with Thunderbolts*, according to Bob Iger, during a call with his investors, which was relayed by Variety:
We all know that in our desire to flood our streaming platform with more content, we asked our creative engines, including Marvel, to produce far too much. We lost a little bit of focus by wanting to do too much. […] By making Marvel focus much more on its films, we believe that will result in higher quality. I think the first and best example is Thunderbolts*.
Bob Iger predicts a bright future for Disney
The message is therefore clear: Marvel is getting back to basics. Fewer simultaneous productions, better control of the schedule, and a refocusing on cinema. The production of certain shaky projects is being canceled or put on hold while the right script is found, like Blade. In any case, Bob Iger is very optimistic about Disney's future. He even hopes that the company's next 18 months will resemble 2019, when it recorded record global revenue of $11.12 billion.
Disney's upcoming roadmap is indeed ambitious. Several big productions will follow Thunderbolts* in 2025: Lilo & Stitch, Elio, Tron: Ares, Fantastic Four: First Step, Zootopia 2 and Avatar: Fire and Ash. And 2026 promises to be just as busy with The Mandalorian and Grogu, Toy Story 5 and Avengers: Doomsday.
Which Disney-produced film are you most looking forward to? Leave us your opinion in the comments!
0 Comments