Marvel’s Thunderbolts* is storming to a promising domestic opening in the $73 million to $77 million range after topping Friday’s chart with $31.5 million, including $11.5 million in Thursday previews.
The star-studded movie, led by Florence Pugh and Sebastian Stan, is kicking off the summer box office in what’s become a tradition for Kevin Feige‘s studio with only a few exceptions. The pic is winning over critics and audiences alike; Thunderbolts* boasts a glowing 95 percent audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, making it the third-highest score for a title in the Marvel Cinematic Universe in a tie with Spider-Man: Far From Home and behind Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (98 percent) and Spider-Man: No Way Home (97 percent). It’s still early, of course, and scores can change by one or two points as the weekend wears on. And on PostTrak exit polls, audiences are giving it a rave 4.5 out of 5 stars, while it received an A- CinemaScore.
Heading into the weekend, tracking suggests the movie will open in the $70 million to $73 million range domestically and $160 million to $175 million globally, against a $180 million production budget before marketing. Word of mouth is seeing that number climb higher, although some rivals see it coming in between $72 million and $75 million.
As a comparison, Marvel’s Captain America: Brave New World had an audience RT score of 92 percent when opening to $88.8 million earlier this year. (That film’s critics score was a rotten 48 percent, compared to 88 percent for Thunderbolts*.)
The unexpected spring bloom is currently underway at the box office — led by Ryan Coogler’s sleeper sensation Sinners — proves that people want the communal experience of watching a film together. Regarding Sinners, the Warner Bros. hit is enjoying a phenomenal third weekend, even if it falls to second place. The supernatural vampire pic continues to break all the rules and could fall just 26 percent…
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