A group of misfits and outsiders are making headlines at the box office after winning over audiences and critics in a major way.
Marvel and Disney Thunderbolts* soared to the top of the domestic chart with an estimated domestic opening of $76 million from 4,330 theaters, slightly ahead of expectations for a superhero pic that features lesser-known characters. While Marvel and Disney would no doubt have liked north of $80 million, the biggest factor will be how the $180 million movie legs out.
Overseas, the star-studded ensemble pic led by Florence Pugh and Sebastian Stan pulled in $86.1 million for a global start of $162.1 million; again, in line with expectations. The global Imax haul was a huge $20 million.
It drew impressive audience sentiment across the board, including boasting 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). And on PostTrak exit polls, audiences are giving it a rave 4.5 out of 5 stars, while it received an A- CinemaScore.
Thunderbolts* played to an ethnically diverse audience and also skewed less male (63 percent) than many Marvel titles.
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).
In the film, Louis-Dreyfus’ villainous character has positioned a number of MCU loners and rejects to kill each other for her own nefarious reasons. But they instead decide to team up in response to the obvious setup, bringing along newcomer Bob, who suffers from a mental illness that has catastrophic consequences after he’s subjected to cruel experimentation.
The Marvel pic is contributing to the continuing boom in moviegoing at the box office, with ticket sales for the weekend up 95 percent over last year when Universal’sThe Fall Guy kicked off summer to disappointing results (Deadpool & Wolverine was forced to relocate to late July because of the strikes). And year-to-date revenue is now up nearly 16 percent over 2024.
Ryan Coogler’s sleeper sensation Sinners enjoyed a phenomenal third weekend as it came in second $33 million. The supernatural vampire pic, from Warner Bros., continues to break all the rules and fell a scant 28 percent or less for a domestic tally of $179.7 million and $236.7 million globally.
And Warners decision to hold “rowdy” screenings of A Minecraft Movie seems to have paid off as it climbed back up the chart to third place with an estimated $13.7 million as it approaches the $400 million mark domestically and $1 billion in worldwide ticket sales.
No other major studio dared open a new wide release opposite the Marvel event pic. Elsewhere, Alec Baldwin’s controversial-laced Rust finally opened in select theaters while also being available on premium VOD. The Western flailed in its debut — at least in cinemas — with an estimated opening gross of just $25,000 from 115 theaters. The movie opens four years after Baldwin, who co-wrote and produced the film, accidentally discharged a weapon he thought only had blanks. A live round was in the chamber, and the bullet fatally wounded cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and also hit director-writer Joel Souza.
Baldwin paid a settlement to Hutchins’ surviving family and Matthew Hutchins, the widower, was made an executive producer on the project. In a recent interview, Souza said the family ultimately wanted to finish the film, and asked that he return. He now says he regrets ever making the movie.
Thunderbolts* stormed to $11.5 million in Thursday previews in a promising start for Marvel’s ensemble superhero pic.
The star-studded movie, led by Florence Pugh and Sebastian Stan, kicks 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; as of Friday morning, Thunderbolts* boasted an 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 5 stars.
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 could see that number climb higher, as well as ensure svelte legs in the days ahead (some are already predicting north of $80 million). As a way of 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 a glowing 89 percent for Thunderbolts*.)
The unexpected spring bloom 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.
Thunderbolts* is a pivotal moment for Marvel as it kicks off a new hoped-for franchise. 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).
“Florence Pugh and Sebastian Stan lead a gratifyingly fresh and soulful Marvel adventure,” The Hollywood Reporter‘s chief film critic David Rooney writes in his review. “While a handful of the characters and the actors playing them have appeared in previous entries, there’s a disarming freshness to this first-time assembly, not to mention something even more unexpected: heart. That’s due to an appealing ensemble cast but also to the new blood of a creative team with a distinctive take on the genre.”
In the film, Louis-Dreyfus’ villainous character has positioned a number of MCU loners and rejects to kill each other for her own nefarious reasons. But they instead decide to team up in response to the obvious setup, bringing along newcomer Bob, who suffers from a mental illness that has catastrophic consequences after he’s subjected to cruel experimentation.
Overseas, Thunderbolts’ is opening everywhere timed to its release in North America, including in China.
Exhibition giant Cinemark reported revenue of $541 million, down 7 percent year-over-year from $579 million, for the first quarter of 2025 and swung to a quarterly loss of $39 million, compared to a year-earlier profit of $25 million.
But the company touted: “North American industry box office momentum accelerated in April, nearly doubling year-over-year, leading into a blockbuster summer film slate.”
Quarterly admissions revenue decreased 8.9 percent to $264.1 million, while concession revenue dropped 6.2 percent to $210.4 million, as Cinemark posted a 7.8 percent decrease in attendance to 36.6 million patrons. Worldwide average ticket price came in at $7.22, and concession revenue per patron amounted to $5.75.
The company also posted quarterly adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA), another profitability metric, of $36.4 million, down from $70.7 million in the year-ago period.
“Cinemark once again delivered outsized box office results in the first quarter, surpassing industry benchmarks both domestically and internationally, despite a suppressed box office environment that was impacted by lingering effects of the 2023 Hollywood strikes,” CEO Sean Gamble said in the press release. “We continue to expect a favorable rebound in our industry’s recovery trajectory this year, and the second quarter is already pacing well ahead of 2024’s box office results, showcasing the strong, sustained enthusiasm consumers have for experiencing a diverse range of compelling, well-marketed films in theaters.”
He added: “As we look ahead, we remain highly encouraged about the future direction of our industry and company based on resilient consumer trends, a continued resurgence of wide release volume, Cinemark’s advantaged financial and competitive positions, and meaningful opportunities we have to generate incremental value creation through our ongoing strategic initiatives.”
On the earnings call, Gamble said momentum starting picking up with A Minecraft Movie, which deliveredCinemark’s highest three-day opening of all time for a family film, and continued with the faith-based film King of Kings, Sinners and The Accountant 2.
Moving forward, Gamble said that he also expects Cinemark and the film industry would be able to continue on an upswing during “an uncertain and evolving macroeconomic landscape,” due to the fact that in six of the past eight recesssions, North American box office has grown. “Based on our observations during strained economic periods, people continue to pursue out of experiences, and they tend to prioritize value and affordability,” he said.
Concluded Gamble: “Considering the health of our company and our positive outlook, we paid our first dividend since the pandemic during the quarter and executed $200 million of share repurchases. This marks our first-ever stock buyback program and has put us out in front of managing potential dilution related to our upcoming convertible notes settlement.”
The box office is headed for a record-breaking sewing bee over the long Memorial Day weekend.
According to tracking, the combination of Disney’s live-action redo of Lilo & Stitch and Paramount’s Tom Cruise-starrer Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning could mark another Barbenheimer moment for both Hollywood and hungry theater owners.
Lilo & Stitch is headed for a four-day domestic debut of $120 million, one of the best showings ever for Disney’s live-action reimaginings, according to those with access to data from leading firm the National Research Group. The leading research firm also gives ranges in addition to a target number; in this case, it is $110 million to $130 million.
M:I, meanwhile, is on course for a franchise-best $80 million debut, which would more than make up for the lackluster $54.7 million bow of the previous film in the series, as well as zoom past the record $61.2 million three-day launch of Mission: Impossible — Fallout. NRG’s range is $72 million to $88 million. Keep in mind, Memorial Day weekend is a four-day gross. Also, both Disney and Paramount have three weeks to unleash their biggest marketing pushes yet.
If tracking proves correct, the combination of the two films could deliver the biggest Memorial Day weekend in history in terms of overall ticket sales, not adjusted for inflation. The crown currently belongs to the $306 million in ticket sales collected in 2013 when Fast & Furious 6 zoomed to $117 million, followed by The Hangover Part III with $50 million.
And it would also mark the best showing for two Memorial Day titles going up against each other. In 2007, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End opened to $140 million over the holiday frame, followed by Shrek the Third with $67 million.
There’s still no official moniker for the mash-up for Stitch & M:I as there was for Barbenheimer (Stitch on a Mission? Stitchion?), but for Cruise, it’s a coming-full-circle moment.
In late July 2023, when the box office was still struggling to recover from the pandemic and grappling with the impact of the strikes, the combination of Greta Gerwig’s Barbie and Christopher Nolan‘s Oscar-winning Oppenheimer ignited moviegoing (studio execs always say that rising tides lift all boats). Despite opening on the same weekend, Barbie dazzled with a $162 million debut, while Nolan’s movie took in $82.4 million, a virtually unheard of number for an adult biographical drama.
Cruise — who has become Hollywood’s theatrical ambassador in the post-pandemic era — himself urged consumers to turn out for Oppenheimer and Barbie, even as he had his own movie to promote, Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part One. The tentpole, which had opened two weeks earlier, ended up being a major disappointment, with Cruise and director Christopher McQuarrie going back to the drawing board and renaming the film for next installment, rather than calling it Dead Reckoning Part Two.
Their efforts appear to be paying off, according to tracking. Materials for Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning is resonating with its target audience in a major way. Ditto for Lilo & Stitch, about an irresistible dog-like alien named Stitch who befriends a lonely girl. It’s popping with families, teenage girls and younger woman who grew up on the 2002 animated film. That’s welcome news for Disney’s live-action efforts after Snow White stumbled earlier this year.
This weekend, Disney and Marvel Studios kick off the summer box office with Thunderbolts*.
Lightning has struck many times for Marvel Studios at the box office before Kevin Feige‘s superhero studio went through some turbulent times in recent years. Now comes another chance.
Later this week, Thunderbolts* kicks off the summer box office in a pivotal moment for the Marvel Cinematic Universe. 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.
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. Prior to the pandemic, that would have been considered not so great for an MCU title kicking off summer. But times have changed, with tracking becoming more unreliable. Also, the Disney-owned Marvel is stressing these aren’t well-known characters.
If word-of-mouth is strong, all bets are off. The unexpected spring bloom 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.
Not long ago, year-to-date box office revenue was lagging badly behind the same corridor in 2024. Then two weekends ago, revenue was up by 2 percent. Now it’s up more than 11 percent.
Thunderbolts*‘ ensemble cast features Florence Pugh (Yelena Belova), Sebastian Stan (Bucky Barnes), 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).
“Florence Pugh and Sebastian Stan lead a gratifyingly fresh and soulful Marvel adventure,” The Hollywood Reporter chief critic David Rooney writes in his review. “While a handful of the characters and the actors playing them have appeared in previous entries, there’s a disarming freshness to this first-time assembly, not to mention something even more unexpected: heart. That’s due to an appealing ensemble cast but also to the new blood of a creative team with a distinctive take on the genre.”
In a December 2023 interview, Russell teased to THR that Thunderbolts* would not be your tried-and-true Marvel superhero film, and it’s now come to light that the film is genuinely about mental health. Louis-Dreyfus’ villainous character has positioned a number of MCU loners and rejects to kill each other for her own nefarious reasons. But they instead decide to team up in response to the obvious setup and to newcomer Bob, who suffers from a mental illness that has catastrophic consequences after he’s subjected to cruel experimentation.
As this story went to press, the pic’s critics score on Rotten Tomatoes was a promising 89 percent fresh with only 98 reviews posted. When the embargo broke earlier in the day, it was initially 92 percent, and the score is certain to continue to fluctuate. As a way of comparison, Captain America: Brave New World had a rotten score of 48 percent yet opened to $88.8 million earlier this year. And last July, Deadpool & Wolverine was a record-setting win for Marvel, opening to $211 million.
There’s no audience score since Thunderbolts* doesn’t begin hosting previews in North America until Thursday night before opening everywhere Friday. Overseas, it opens around the globe midweek, including in China.
Last year, Universal’s The Fall Guy kicked off the summer box office over the May 1-3 weekend to $28.5 million.
Oscar-nominated Japanese filmmaker Mamoru Hosoda’s upcoming anime pic Scarlet will open in North American theaters on Dec. 12, during the the lucrative year-end holiday corridor and the heart of awards season.
Sony Pictures, which is co-producing and co-financing the film with Studio Chizu and Nippon TV, announced the release date Monday. Sony will distribute the film in the U.S. and around the globe except for in Japan, where Toho is handling the movie theatrically.
Scarlet tells the story of a brave princess who transcends time and space.
Hosoda’s credits include Belle, Wolf Children and 2018’s Mirai, which was nominated for the Oscar for best animated feature after making its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival.
Yuichiro Saito and Nozom Takahashi of Studio Chizu are producing Scarlet alongside Toshimi Tanio of Nippon TV.
Hosoda is the founder of production house Studio Chizu. Many of the writer-director’s fantastical movies have been inspired by watching his own kids interact and his ongoing preoccupation with family dynamics, including 2015’s The Boy and the Beast and 2012’s Wolf Children.
