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- Disney’s “Thunderbolts*” debuted in theatres on May 2.
- The film earned $76 million at the domestic box office over the weekend.
- Disney needed the win after a poor showing for its much-hyped live-action version of “Snow White.”
Disney’s “Thunderbolts*” earned $76 million in domestic ticket sales during its opening weekend, a notable recovery after “Snow White” slumbered at the box office.
The film, produced by Marvel Studios, gained an additional $86.1 million in international ticket sales, totaling $162 million worldwide.
“Thunderbolts*” is the newest film from the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Directed by Jake Schreier, the film follows a group of antiheroes who appeared in previous Marvel Studios projects as supporting characters, including Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh) and Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan).
Chuck Zlotnick/Marvel Studios
The opening weekend numbers are good news for Disney, which struggled to entice audiences to watch its “Snow White” remake in March.
Although the original 1937 animated film won Disney an Academy Award, the 2025 version garnered mixed reviews from critics and earned just $43 million at the domestic box office during opening weekend. A series of controversies surrounded the film, which may have affected viewership.
“The Amateur,” a film produced by 20th Century Studios, grossed even less when it premiered in April. Starring Rami Malek and Laurence Fishburne, the spy-action flick made $14 million during its opening weekend.
The early success of “Thunderbolts*” is also a sign that Disney could reverse its superhero slump. Slowing fan interest and an oversaturation of Marvel TV series on Disney+ caused what some perceived as a drop in quality, prompting Marvel to rethink its approach to rolling out Marvel content.
At the time of writing, “Thunderbolts*” has a critics’ score of 88% based on 257 reviews on Rotten Tomatoes.
Representatives for Disney and Marvel Studios did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.
