Disney/Marvel Studios’ “Thunderbolts*” faced no new competition in its second weekend at the box office; and thanks to strong critical and audience reception, it is earning a respectable $35 million in its second weekend.
That equates to a 52% drop from its $74 million opening and would give the film a domestic total of $131 million. It also tops the $28 million second weekend of “Captain America: Brave New World” and could put it on course to pass that film’s $200 million domestic box office run.
In an effort to drum up interest, Marvel Studios took a departure from its usual “no spoiler” policy and revealed why “Thunderbolts*” has an asterisk in its title: the team led by Yelena Belova and Bucky Barnes has its name changed at the film’s end to “The New Avengers.” That new team name has been revealed across Marvel’s post-release marketing, including a social media interview in which film star Sebastian Stan changes the film’s poster at a bus stop.
Of course, having much stronger audience buzz than some recent Marvel films like “The Marvels” and “Brave New World” helps things out, encouraging casual moviegoers and lapsed fans to give it a try. “Thunderbolts*”/”The New Avengers” will have at least another weekend of general audience play to build off that buzz, as next week’s big release will be the gory New Line horror revival “Final Destination: Bloodlines.”
Meanwhile, Warner Bros.’ “Sinners” has put up another fantastic hold in its fourth weekend, as industry estimates have the film earning $23 million. Today, the film will pass $200 million in domestic grosses, becoming the first original film since Disney/Pixar’s “Coco” in 2017 to pass that mark. Industry estimates put the film’s running total at $216 million by Sunday.
The post ‘Thunderbolts’ Stays Atop Box Office With $35 Million Second Weekend appeared first on TheWrap.