Caught between two major Marvel releases, and with another production already overshadowing it, the latest Marvel film is struggling to establish itself at the global box office. After four weeks on screen, which is to say at the end of its run, Jake Schreier's film has only grossed $369 million internationally. Revenue that would be enough for many licenses, but not for a House of Ideas accustomed to reaching the top with each of its appearances on the big screen.
For comparison, The Marvels is widely considered a flop for the MCU with its $206 million, as is Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania with its $476 million. Right between the two, Thunderbolts* is therefore well on its way to being another disappointment for the House of Ideas. Unless there's a surge in revenue in the coming days, the film is unlikely to exceed $400 million with difficulty. But is it really a failure for Kevin Feige's company?
A budget on target (for once)
After the success of Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame, Marvel bit off more than it could chew. With its global box office power, the company has thrown itself headlong into producing numerous films devoted to new or secondary heroes. The studio wasn't exactly looking at the expense, spending nearly $330 million on Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania and $350 million on Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. With its estimated budget of $180 million, not including marketing costs, Thunderbolts* was already proof of a return to more modest ambitions for the multi-billion dollar franchise.
Not every movie is an Avengers, and only notable events are likely to draw crowds beyond its traditional fans. It is rumored that Thunderbolts* could represent a dead loss of $100 million for Marvel, its marketing budget appears to have been very substantial. It would need $450 million to break even, but Kevin Feige still has a good reason to celebrate.
A critical success
While the operation isn't financially profitable, it does have benefits for the House of Ideas' reputation. On review aggregators, Thunderbolts* sits at the top of what Marvel has offered in years. On Rotten Tomatoes, for example, the film has 93% positive reviews from the public compared to 88% from the press. For example, Brave New World only received 78% of the public's votes compared to 48% from the press. This excellent word of mouth obviously helps to shine a glimmer of hope among disappointed fans, to prepare for the return of the Avengers (without the z) to the cinema in 2026.
Thunderbolts*, regardless of its financial results, proves to those who no longer believed in it that the game could still be worth the candle. For the others, those who have not returned to the cinema to see a Marvel film since Endgame, the simple mention of the Avengers should be enough in December 2026. Ultimately, Thunderbolts* was as much a mission to win back fans of the superhero stable as it was the promise of a better future for the brand.
New direction
After Endgame, Kevin Feige headed towards his new goal: the introduction of the multiverse and its many ramifications. In cinema and on Disney+, the company's boss was multiplying projects. Except that the disappointments were numerous, between directors who left the projects, screenwriters replaced at the last minute or even changes of position within the MCU chronology. Add to that the difficulty of dealing with the Disney+ series, and you get a chaos behind the scenes that does not bode well. Captain America: Brave New World will not say otherwise, its plot patched up on all sides either.
By Disney boss Bob Iger's own admission, the strategy wasn't the right one. Luckily, it was his predecessor's. Thunderbolts* is actually the first film to benefit from his change of approach. It had entered development before Bob Chapek's departure, but experienced significant delays with the actors' and writers' strike, giving the teams an opportunity to revise their copy. When asked about the film, Iger said:
Proof, if any were needed, of this paradigm shift, the 2026 schedule is strangely light, with only Avengers: Doomsday to satisfy superhero fans. The best is yet to come, and for once, it's not the number of greenbacks that counts. Marvel and Disney have understood this well, and one would be tempted to say that the rescue mission is almost a success. Fantastic Four should attract many more viewers given the importance of the heroes for pop culture. To confirm this strong comeback of the Marvel Cinematic Universe?
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