Disney's ‘Thunderbolts*' opens to US$76m in US and Canada
Thunderbolts*, the latest film in Walt Disney Co.'s Marvel Cinematic Universe of superhero titles, was the No. 1 movie this weekend, grossing $76 million in US and Canadian ticket sales in its debut.
The figure compares with an estimate of as much as $90 million in sales from industry tracker Box Office Pro. Disney had forecast as much as $75 million.
Thunderbolts* stars Florence Pugh and Sebastian Stan as part of a group of antiheroes trying to thwart a rogue US intelligence official played by Julia Louis-Dreyfus. The performance on opening weekend was similar to Captain America: Brave New World in February, although Thunderbolts* scored significantly better reviews from critics, which may help its long-term box office prospects. The picture cost about $180 million to produce.
Outside of last year's $1.34 billion blockbuster Deadpool & Wolverine, an R-rated anomaly in the genre, superhero films have struggled to reach the heights they set six years ago when Avengers: Endgame took in a colossal $2.8 billion globally.
Thunderbolts* is the second of three Marvel pictures Disney is releasing this year. The third is July's The Fantastic Four: First Steps, which opens two weeks after Warner Bros. Discovery Inc.'s Superman.
Disney reports fiscal second-quarter earnings on May 7. Performance at the division that includes theatrical releases is expected to be held back by Snow White, which was mired in controversy and took in a disappointing $200.3 million at the global box office after its debut in March. –BLOOMBERG
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2 days ago
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