‘Thunderbolts*' Unveils Title Asterisk In Post-Opening Marketing Stunt; U.S. Box Office Debut At $74M
So what exactly did that asterisk mean after all in the Thunderbolts* title? On Monday, Marvel finally answered that question on its social media handles as well as in outdoor ads and in-theater promos in the top markets.
Th asterisk denotes the movie's subtitle *The New Avengers, which the movie's ragtag group of Winter Soldier, Ghost, John Walker, Alexei Shostakov and Yelena Belova represents. They're all expected to segue to Joe and Anthony Russo's Avengers: Doomsday which will fire off next summer, May 1, 2026.
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We hear from Disney that the studio didn't technically re-title Thunderbolts* (that would be crazy), rather just spelled out that asterisk.
The post-opening marketing stunt comes in the wake of Thunderbolts* opening to $74 million (instead of the reported $76M) after an estimated $18M Sunday, off 27% from Saturday's $24.5M. Disney will be reporting its official figure soon. The Jake Schreier-directed movie had great exits with an A- CinemaScore, 94% Rotten Tomatoes audience rating and Comscore/Screen Engine PostTrak exits of 71% definite recommend and 4 1/2 stars. Based off that, Disney is hoping for a second-weekend hold that improves upon previous less-than-$100M openers, i.e., Eternals ($71.2M, 62% second-weekend drop, B CinemaScore, $164.8M final) and Captain America: Brave New World ($88.8M opening, 68% second-weekend plummet, B- CinemaScore, $200.2M domestic final).
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Even standees, digital signage, one sheets and PLF and Imax one sheets in the top theater NYC and LA circuits have updated to reflect the 'new' title of *The New Avengers.
Disney had a promo partner campaign valued at $75M for the $180M Marvel Cinematic Universe title that included Harley Davidson Motorcycles, Tide, Wheaties, Mike & Ike candies, Cupra Kiro and Formula E racing, LinkedIn, Perfect Sports and Arizona Ice Tea.
Opening wide this weekend is Lionsgate's Kerry Washington and Omar Sy action title Shadow Force and IFC's Clown in a Cornfield.
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Testifying to the event's importance, the guest of honor was the nephew of Walt Disney, longtime Disney executive Roy E. Disney, who at the time was vice chairman of the Disney company and chair of Disney Feature Animation. (Roy Disney died in 2009, at 79.) The Los Angeles premiere of the 2002 movie had occurred about a week earlier. Priscilla Presley attended, and told reporters that "Lilo & Stitch" offered "a great message to bring family back together again because really, that's what it's all about. Elvis was very much a family man, regardless of what you hear. He loved family and he always came home." In 2025 as in 2002, Disney and Elvis Presley Enterprises are banking on the appeal of "Lilo & Stitch." The gift shops at Graceland now are stuffed with items from the grandiloquently labeled "Disney Stitch Inspired by Elvis Collection," created by NECA, a pop culture collectibles company. Ranging from $12.99 to $34.99, these include plush and plastic figures of all sizes, showcasing Stitch in Elvis garb. Stitch-as-Elvis pins and other items also are available. The new merchandise augments a still thriving line of "Lilo & Stitch" merchandise, tied to the original film. Stitch "has become a crucial character in the Walt Disney Company's modern empire, mainly in the form of a dizzying array of licensed merchandise," The New York Times reported this week, in a story that called Stitch "a cash cow for the company." Reported the newspaper: "The company's annual financial reports for 2023 and 2024 included 'Lilo & Stitch' on a short list of nine examples of its 'major' licensed properties, putting it on par with classics titans like Winnie the Pooh and Mickey and Friends, and conglomerates like Star Wars and the collective Disney princesses." Meanwhile, vintage 2002 "Lilo & Stitch" collectibles continue to be popular on eBay and elsewhere; these include eight McDonald's Happy Meal toys, one of which presents Stitch in an Elvis jumpsuit, strumming a guitar atop a surfboard. ELVIS WEEK 2025: Graceland to celebrate the King with concerts, panels, vigil and more The new "Lilo & Stitch," for the most part, is remarkably faithful to its inspiration, even to the inclusion of a clip from the same B-movie, 1958's "Earth vs. The Spider." But — somewhat surprisingly, in the wake of the hit Baz Luhrmann biopic — the new movie has less Elvis than the old. Yes, the soundtrack showcases the same songs ("Heartbreak Hotel," "Devil in Disguise," "Hound Dog"), in basically the same situations (although the remake totally bungles the Stitch-as-record-player "Suspicious Minds" scene); but the live-action Lilo (played by Maia Kealoha) is less the Elvis evangelist than was her cartoon counterpart. In the first film, Lilo pays Stitch the ultimate compliment: "You look like an Elvis fan." She pulls out an 8-by-10 "Blue Hawaii" portrait of Elvis and declares: "Elvis was a model citizen." She tells Stitch: "I have compiled a list of his traits for you to practice." This leads to comic scenes of Stitch strumming a guitar while wearing an Elvis-style jumpsuit and pompadour. The film ends with a happily-ever-after vacation "photo" of Stitch and his new human family posing in front of the gates of Graceland. None of these Elvis moments are recreated in the new movie — although Stitch does appear, briefly, in his Elvis jumpsuit during the end credits. Maybe we'll get more Elvis — for better or worse? — in the sequel, if there is one. The 2002 "Lilo & Stitch" was followed by a TV series and three direct-to-video feature films. The first of these features was "Stitch! The Movie," which — perhaps due to budgetary constraints — licensed only one Elvis song, the thematically appropriate but hardly epochal "Slicin' Sand," from 1963's "Blue Hawaii." The lyrics likely did not give Leiber & Stoller sleepless nights. Encourages Elvis, while serenading a bevy of beauties: "Dance, dance, dance/ 'til your toes get tan/ We're gonna have us a ball on the beach/ Slicin' sand..." This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Lilo & Stitch: Elvis references, Stitch merch and a visit to Graceland
