‘Thunderbolts*’ Storms to #1 Worldwide
“Thunderbolts*,” Marvel Studios’ new action-sci-fi ensemble, took the top spot at the worldwide box office with a $162.1 million debut and won over critics and fans alike — earning a 95 percent audience score on Rotten Tomatoes and an A- CinemaScore.
Marvel’s “Thunderbolts*” is the No. 1 movie in the world, opening to a thunderous $162.1 million globally, with $76 million at the domestic box office and an additional $86.1 million overseas. The highly anticipated superhero feature officially kicked off the summer box office, energizing theaters and reigniting MCU fandom around the globe.
Backed by Marvel Studios and distributed by Disney, the film arrives with stellar reception: an 88 percent critic score and a staggering 95 percent audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes — the third-highest audience score in the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s history. CinemaScore audiences awarded the film an A-.
Directed by Jake Schreier, “Thunderbolts*” brings together an unlikely team of antiheroes, loners and outsiders drawn from the MCU’s complex tapestry. The film follows a group who were each manipulated into a deadly scheme by the cunning and morally murky Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, played by Julia Louis-Dreyfus. Tasked with eliminating one another for her own agenda, the group instead flips the script — choosing to team up and fight back.
“One of the best Marvel movies of all time.” SlashFilm
Florence Pugh leads the ensemble with a performance that critics are calling “perfection” (TheWrap), alongside Lewis Pullman, Wyatt Russell, David Harbour, Sebastian Stan, Laurence Fishburne and Louis-Dreyfus. Newcomer Bob, a character living with a mental illness and exploited through unethical experimentation, emerges as an emotional core of the narrative. His arc serves as a powerful message about trauma, dignity and the resilience of the human spirit — layered beneath the film’s explosive action.
With its PG-13 rating and dynamic mix of high-stakes combat, dark humor and emotional resonance, “Thunderbolts*” pushes the MCU into new terrain. The story leans into themes of redemption, identity and unlikely alliance — reframing heroism through the lens of imperfection and choice.
“Thunderbolts*” is playing in theaters now and will be available for licensing from Swank soon.