Marvel Studios’ Thunderbolts* lorded over a relatively quiet weekend at the domestic box office, earning $33.1 million for a 10-day North American tally of $128.5 million and $272.2 million globally.
The ensemble pic led by Florence Pugh and Sebastian Stan fell a respectable 55 percent from its opening weekend, compared to an average decline of 57 percent for a title in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and far less that more recent MCU films. Earlier this year, Captain America: Brave New World tumbled more than 65 percent.
Thunderbolts* boasts both enviable reviews and audience scores, which is sparking strong word-or-mouth. And in a savvy stunt to whip up additional interest, Disney’s marketers revealed after the movie opened that the asterisk refers to the unofficial title The New Avengers, since many of the characters will appear in next year’s Avengers: Doomsday.
Directed by Jake Schreier, the film brings together a band of dysfunctional outsiders — and lesser-known comic book characters — who discover their potential to be heroes when working together. In addition to Pugh (Yelena Belova) and Stan (Bucky Barnes), the movie features Wyatt Russell (John Walker), David Harbour (Alexei Shostakov/Red Guardian), Lewis Pullman (Bob), Hannah John-Kamen (Ghost), Olga Kurylenko (Taskmaster) and Julia Louis-Dreyfus (CIA director Valentine Allegra de Fontaine).
With no new event pic on the marquee, the weekend belonged to holdovers all the way around.
Warner Bros. had plenty to celebrate as Ryan Coogler’s sleeper hit Sinners crossed the $200 million mark at the domestic box office for a worldwide total of nearly $300 million. In a second victory, A Minecraft Movie zoomed past $900 million in global ticket sales.
Sinners came in second in its fourth weekend with a huge $21.1 million for a North American total of $214.9 million through Sunday and $283.3 million globally. The supernatural vampire pic starring Michael B. Jordan is another coup for Coolger, the bold and audacious filmmaker behind the Black Panther and Creed franchises. (Jordan has starred in all five of his movies.)
A Minecraft Movie — the second-top-grossing video adaptation of all time behind Universal’s The Super Mario Bros. Movie, not adjusted for inflation — placed third in its sixth weekend with $8 million for a domestic haul of $409 million and $909.6 million globally.
Amazon MGM Studios’ The Accountant 2, now in its fourth weekend, enjoyed a fourth-place finish with $6.1 million for a solid domestic total of $50.9 million.
Among a handful of smaller titles hoping to drum up business on a nationwide basis, IFC’s slasher pic Clown in the Cornfield fared the best in opening to $3.7 million, enough to round out the top five. Lionsgate’s Shadow Force and Vertical’s Fight or Flight both opened in the $2 million range (the order will be determined Monday morning when final weekend grosses are tallied.)
“This relatively quiet weekend is just the calm before the proverbial storm,” says Comscore chief box office analyst Paul Dergarabedian in referencing such upcoming May titles as Final Destination: Bloodlines,Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning, Lilo & Stitch and Karate Kid: Legends. He adds, “It’s looking like it’s going to be an epic month of May for movie theaters.”
There was action at the specialty box office, thanks to A24’s critically acclaimed Friendship, which opened in six cinemas. The Tim Robinson-Paul Rudd bromance scored a dazzling per theater average of $75,137, which A24 says is the best showing of the year so far for an indie title opening in platform run.
There’s been a lot of talk recently about esteemed 73-year-old football coach Bill Belichick and his 24-year-old girlfriend, Jordon Hudson. Since she shut down questions about their two-year relationship during one of his interviews, there’s allegedly been some concern about the effect she’s having on his coaching legacy. It turns out his career isn’t the only one being affected, however. Hudson is apparently “concerned” the backlash will affect her showing at the Miss Maine Pageant.
She might be right, too. The relationship and its effects have been discussed at length on the Pablo Torre Finds Out podcast and, on the May 9 episode, the hosts alleged that Jordon Hudson would consider a bad placement in this weekend’s pageant the “worst-case scenario.” Torre said:
The thing that Jordon Hudson considers one of the worst-case scenarios here as a result of the CBS disaster, which again, felt entirely preventable if one were more strategic or knowledgeable about the industry — a parallel through line through so many of the anecdotes that we have reported — is that she has been very concerned, to the point of explicitly telling Bill Belichick and others, that this whole disaster, this whole episode at this point honestly, is actively undermining her chances to win the Miss Maine competition.
Daily Mail, early results showed Hudson in seventh place with 146 votes — far behind early leader Lexi Bjork’s 1,381. Voting reportedly was open until 10 a.m. ET May 11.
While it seems the backlash over her relationship with Bill Belichick might be affecting the public vote, it remains to be seen if the pageant judges will hold Jordon Hudson’s reputation against her.
While the couple has been together for more than two years, stories have really started circulating in the past two weeks, after Jordan Hudson interrupted a CBS interview to shut down a reporter who asked how they had met.
There are reports that a deal with Hard Knocks (which streams with a Max subscription) — which would have allowed fans to follow Bill Belichick’s season coaching at the University of North Carolina amid the 2025 TV schedule — fell through due to Hudson’s alleged demands to the series’ producers.
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Rumors have also spread that Jordon Hudson “forced her way in” to the Dunkin’ ad that aired as part of the Super Bowl LIX commercials.
Lots of people are not happy about Jordon Hudson seemingly involving herself in the business aspect of Bill Belichick’s life. However, as for whether that will affect her own career, we’ll have to see how the Miss Maine pageant plays out.
It’s already easy to look forward to several of the high-profile films lined up on the 2025 movie schedule. However, as someone who loves to enjoy premium format thrills, I find myself even more excited about my most anticipated pictures of the year. After seeing Marvel’s Thunderbolts* in both 3D and 4DX, with the premium format trailers included, that’s exactly what I’m left to discuss.
Through trailers for Tron: Ares and a handful of other films on my watch list have become even hotter prospects in the months ahead. As if that wasn’t enough of a sweetener, there was also a specially branded format reel hyping up a summer release near and dear to my heart. But before we look to the future, I have to tip my hat towards special segments of director Jake Schreier’s 4DX enhanced chapter of the MCU.
(Image credit: Marvel Studios)
After Thunderbolts* In 4DX, I Feel Like Florence Pugh Beat ME Up
To 3D or Not To 3D fashion, I can still say that the 3D of Thunderbolts* (Or *The New Avengers, if you’re nasty) is pretty decent. The brightness was a bit dimmer than usual, which did not help during the third act climax, but the visual components worked decently well, especially if you like guns pointing at you in 3D.
But if you’re going to see this movie in 3D, you may as well add 4DX into the package as well. The big reason I’d suggest such an option is because much as Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh) is the functional lead of this movie, she’s also the star of this specific premium format variant. With most of the motion focused on the intense fight sequences included throughout, you’ll run the full gamut of vibration and motion features – and you’ll believe you’re ex-Widow yourself.
How to Train Your Dragon’s live-action remake is the current flick that has that distinction. Seeing as I was already hyped up for this movie, I didn’t think I could be more excited about director Dean DeBlois’ flesh-and-blood redo.
I should have learned my lesson with the How to Train Your Dragon trailer, as the “Test Drive” scene from the 2010 original was used to sell 4DX’s might in this picture. That moment always brings tears to my eyes, and being able to feel like Hiccup (Mason Thames) riding through the air with Toothless thrilled me so much, it brought tears to my eyes.
Jurassic Park Universe meant to my education as a young moviegoer. Just as some Marvel fans are defending Thunderbolts* against those who aren’t as invested in the MCU’s progress, I’m someone who definitely goes to bat for entries others wouldn’t champion. And that’s a good part of why I’m still pretty stoked for Jurassic World Rebirth’s confirmed dinosaurs migrating into the movies this summer.
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As far as the 4DX enhanced look at this would-be blockbuster goes, I’ll never get over the simple swaying motion of the seats when we first lay eyes on the Titanosaurus. Also, the air cannons that go off when guns are fired felt a bit more poetic this time out, as Scarlett Johansson’s efforts to fight mutated dinosaurs happened to appear before her cinematic sister Florence Pugh wrecked shop in a similar fashion during Thunderbolts*.
Joseph Kosinski’s F1 is constantly promoted for its “Filmed For IMAX” status, and rightfully so. However, I think I’m going to prioritize seeing F1 in 4DX for one reason – the motion seats. My theater’s pre-Thunderbolts* experience included the most recent trailer for Brad Pitt’s racing drama, and the motion was so wild I think that it may rival Twisters’ phenomenal 4DX package.
What’s more, they set off the strobe lights in the theater during press conference scenes, and even the legendary logo for Jerry Bruckheimer Productions. That attention to detail goes a long way, and if there were a way to marry IMAX’s big picture with 4DX’s bells and whistles, I’d be a very happy moviegoer.
Tron: Legacy needs an IMAX 3D re-release, as I still haven’t shaken how beautiful that experience was back in 2010. But after seeing Tron: Ares’ trailer in 4DX, I’d love to see a conversion of Sam Flynn’s adventures on The Grid take full advantage of this newer premium thrill. It’d make a nice double feature with director Joachim Rønning’s upcoming three-quel, which already looks stunning in this 3D hybrid release.
Riding on a lightcycle was obviously a plus, but what really surprised me was a shot of someone presumably being derezzed, including a sprinkle of water. If they can crank that Nine Inch Nails music – as well as the projector brightness – a little higher, I’ll be in biodigital heaven.
(Image credit: Disney)
This isn’t even the full list of 4DX-enhanced movies that are on the docket for 2025, as Lilo & Stitch, Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning, and Superman are all going to appear in this format as well. So if you’re a premium format loyalist like I am, then you should probably keep your eyes on your local listings, especially since most of the movies above are already available for advanced ticket sales.
And of course, once you’ve taken in those thrills and spills, come back to CinemaBlend, where we’ll tell you if the 3D or 4DX versions of these blockbusters are worth the extra ticket price. I think even The New Avengers and Sam Wilson would be able to agree on that point. Until next time…End of Line.
Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni remain locked in a legal battle that’s linked to their work on the 2024 film It Ends with Us. The situation began with Lively filing a complaint against Baldoni, who directed and co-starred alongside her in the aforementioned film. Since then, the actors have filed suit against each other, and both camps are standing firm in their respective positions. At present, Baldoni is suing Lively and others for $400 million and, now, the actress and her reps are requesting legal documents in regard to that suit.
This past January was when Justin Baldoni formally filed suit against his former collaborator for hundreds of millions of dollars. Baldoni is seeking to sue the actress, her husband, Ryan Reynolds and others for alleged defamation, extortion and more. Given that Baldoni and Wayfarer Studios, his company, claim to have suffered $400 million worth of damages, Blake Lively and co. want them to provide the docs to prove it. Per TMZ, Lively’s team asked a judge to order Baldoni’s side to release financial records to back up their claims.
Baldoni sued the Times for libel in a $250 million suit. Following the release of that story in December, Baldoni was also dropped as a client from WME. The company’s head, Ari Emmanuel, later talked about parting ways with Baldoni and keeping his business ties with Lively and Reynolds. Emmanuel expressed disdain over the claims made against Baldoni and expressed commitment to the aforementioned couple, who he referred to as “good people.”
More recently, there have been other significant developments in this ongoing legal situation. This past week, Taylor Swift – who was name-dropped in leaked messages from Justin Baldoni’s crisis team early on – was subpoenaed as a witness. Swift’s team released a statement that was shared with Deadline, which stated that the singer “never set foot on the set of” It Ends with Us and that she “was not involved in any casting or creative decisions.”
A lot has also been said about the sheer amount of time and money that both Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni have spent while engaged in this legal battle. Attorney Gregory Doll said in January 2025 that the case would only “get nastier” as it progressed. Doll also opined that both sides were “going to pay a lot of money and it’s going to be a lot of emotional turmoil.”
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Right now, there doesn’t seem to be any indication as to when this Lively/Baldoni situation might be wrapped up. As for Lively and her team’s request for those financial documents, it remains to be seen whether they’ll be successful in obtaining them.
The entertainment industry is just another job at the end of the day. It’s often hard to remember that because we as the audience see actors as different than us, they live different lives. But work life balance is incredibly difficult to balance, especially when you’re away filming. This is especially challenging when you are part of a larger franchise that might take you in different locations across the world. Actor Jeremy Renner shares his reasons for why he stepped away from the Mission: Impossible movies.
In an interview with Josh Horowitz on his podcast Happy, Sad, Confused, Jeremy Renner speaks a bit about his book My Next Breath: A Memoir, as well as share his experiences working in the film industry, and in his personal life. While talking about his role as Hawkeye in the MCU, Horowitz asked Renner about his commentary in his memoir about walking away from Marvel. He had this to say in response:
Renner confirmed that he was being set up at the to take over the Mission: Impossible franchise following Ghost Protocol. We at CinemaBlend even gave him a seven out of ten for his performance as William Brandt. Especially since Tom Cruise had an interesting way of convincing Renner to join the franchise in the first place.
Returning to this time on Happy, Sad, Confused, Renner elaborated a little bit more as to why he stepped away from Mission: Impossible to focus on his daughter.
Filming for a movie does take an exceptionally long time, for us as an audience it really tests our patience. However, we do forget that all this time for filming, every delay, every reshoot is more time that this actor or actress has to be away from their family. And at the time, Ghost Protocol was supposed to be the end for Ethan Hunt, and as we know that didn’t happen, seeing as there was many movies that followed.
Being part of any movie or show does take a lot of time away, other actors like Jason Momoa have stated that they are thankful their careers took off after his children have grown older and don’t care as much to cling to their dad. This is a very similar statement Renner made about his daughter, stating that now that she’s older she’s not as big on hanging around him as much, which is why he is still part of the MCU for the time being. As for his view on being part of a movie for that long, as well as co-star Tom Cruise being willing to be away for filming for so long, Renner closed with this simple, but heartwarming statement.
It’s an admirable choice for anyone to choose their family and their children over their career. While it may seem like that is a no-brainer as a parent, there is a certain level of societal pressure to keep up with the characters the audience loves; especially since William Brandt is one of a handful of characters that people want to see again. But as he has stated, Renner is proud of that choice to focus on his best job, which is being a father to his daughter.
