Thunderbolts* received overwhelmingly positive reviews when it opened in theaters earlier this year, but those didn't translate to ticket sales. The movie grossed only $382.4 million worldwide, a shocking result that left box office analysts scratching their heads.
Marvel Studios quickly pivoted to promoting it as *The New Avengers, but that only went so far, and its failings have been blamed on a cast primarily comprised of streaming characters.
Still, it seems a post-credits scene setting the stage for Avengers: Doomsday has increased interest, as have those glowing reviews. According to streaming monitor service FlixPatrol (via Total Film), Thunderbolts* has become Disney+'s most popular movie in the U.S. and the third-highest streamed title worldwide after just one day on the platform.
Does streaming viewership translate to revenue for a studio like Disney? That's a complicated question to answer, though the movie's success on Disney+ likely bodes well for the characters who call themselves the New Avengers.
Not in terms of a sequel, but beyond Avengers: Doomsday, we can surely expect to see more of The Sentry, Yelena Belova, et al, if Marvel Studios believes fans want more of them (we're already hearing that Florence Pugh will make an appearance in Spider-Man: Brand New Day).
"It’s that expansion that I think led people to say, 'Do I have to see all of these? It used to be fun, but now do I have to know everything about all of these?'" Kevin Feige recently said of the MCU's struggles. "And I think The Marvels hit it hardest where people are like, 'OK, I recognize her from a billion-dollar movie. But who are those other two? I guess they were in some TV show. I’ll skip it.'"
"Thunderbolts* was a very good movie, but nobody knew that title, and many of those characters were from shows," the executive continued. "There was that residual effect of [audiences going], 'I guess I had to have seen these other shows to understand who this is?'"
You can check out our interview with Thunderbolts* director Jake Schreier in the player below.
In Thunderbolts*, Marvel Studios assembles an unconventional team of antiheroes - Yelena Belova, Bucky Barnes, Red Guardian, Ghost, Taskmaster and John Walker. After finding themselves ensnared in a death trap set by Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, these disillusioned castoffs must embark on a dangerous mission that will force them to confront the darkest corners of their pasts.
Will this dysfunctional group tear themselves apart, or find redemption and unite as something much more before it’s too late?
"Thunderbolts* redefines superhero storytelling to deliver a moving and powerful story that does for the 'Multiverse Saga' what The Avengers did for the 'Infinity Saga' in 2012," we said in our review. "These heroes have earned their place on a Wheaties box."
The cast of Thunderbolts* will be led by Florence Pugh as Yelena Boleva, Sebastian Stan as Bucky Barnes, David Harbour as Red Guardian, Wyatt Russell as U.S. Agent, Hannah John-Kamen as Ghost, Olga Kurylenko as Taskmaster, Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, and Lewis Pullman as "Bob."
Written by Eric Pearson, Lee Sung Jin, and Joanna Calo, and directed by Jake Schreier, Thunderbolts* is now available on Digital, 4K UHD, Blu-ray, and Disney+.