THUNDERBOLTS* Test Screening Report Suggests It Will Rank Among Marvel Studios' Best Movies

Thunderbolts* is Marvel Studios' next movie and less than a month away from hitting theaters. After Captain America: Brave New World underperformed, the hope is that it might put the MCU back on the right track ahead of The Fantastic Four: First Steps' release in July.

In the months leading up to Captain America: Brave New World's release, we started hearing worrying test screening reports and full plot breakdowns that, beyond some late post-production changes, proved accurate. 

Now, a Redditor who gave an accurate assessment of that movie's quality before it was released in February is back with their take on Thunderbolts*. If these comments are to be believed, it may ultimately rank among Marvel Studios' best blockbusters. 

"[I] attended a test screening of this near Burbank about 6 weeks ago. I won't say too much but I think if you're feeling jaded by the 'capeshit' genre because they're all feeling the same, I would check this one out. The journey it takes the characters on is actually interesting, the team dynamic is great (not unlike Guardians of the Galaxy) and the way Sentry/Void is executed into the story is really fascinating."

"I expect this one to leg out well into the following weeks after it drops. I see the Tomatometer being above 90% for critics and audiences (of course I could be wrong) but the audience I was with seemed to love it and couldn't stop talking about it highly after the screening."

There have been signs for a while that Thunderbolts* might be a different kind of MCU movie, so this bodes well. It's certainly been marketed differently, though so was Cap's last adventure, and that struggled to live up to the stylish trailers. 

Regardless, it's become clear in recent months that this isn't just Marvel's "Suicide Squad," and with The Sentry confirmed for Avengers: Doomsday, he's not going to be another one-off big bad. 

Thunderbolts* being a critical hit won't guarantee box office success. However, it should help this follow-up to The Falcon and The Winter Soldier, Black Widow, and Ant-Man and The Wasp avoid the fate which befell The Marvels and Captain America: Brave New World.

A new poster for Thunderbolts* has also found its way online today. You can take a closer look at that 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?

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 currently set to be released in theaters on May 2, 2025.