Key Takeaways
Total Weekend Gross:
$83,246,605 | -42.8% Last Week / -13.4% Weekend 19, 2024
Major studios shied away from a prime May slot to give the second weekend of Thunderbolts* some breathing room… which turned out to be unnecessary as the MCU movie performed on the low end of expectations. While smaller indie genre movies picked up scraps and theaters saw a -42% plunge from last week, a viable studio tentpole or family film could have popped in this frame. Ultimately, a ceiling is forming for movies based on MCU heroes identified outside the main core Avengers from the 2010s. The Star Trek film series saw a similar slump when it moved on to The Next Generation-era of characters, with films like Generations, Insurrection, and Nemesis underperforming compared to the original recipe Star Trek cast’s movies.
- Top Title: Thunderbolts (Marvel Studios) | $33.1M / 4,330 Screens / $7,644 PSA | Week 2
- Top Opener: Clown in a Cornfield (RLJ Entertainment) | $3.65M / 2,277 Screens / $1,603 PSA | Week 1
- Best PSA: Friendship (A24) | $451.9K / 6 Screens / $75,317 PSA | Week 1
Highlights From the Weekend
1. Thunderbolts*
Marvel Studios | Week 2
$33.1M Domestic Weekend | $128.5M Domestic Total
$272.2M Global Total
Marvel Studios’ Thunderbolts* stuck it out at #1 in its second frame with an estimated $33.1M (-55%) at 4,330 locations for a $7,644 per-screen average. This is just slightly below our expectations going into the weekend, though on par with the $34.7M Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings earned in its sophomore turn in 2021 on virtually the same number of screens. It’s also above the $29M second frame for Ant-Man and the Wasp. The domestic total stands at $128.5M (at this point in its run Captain America: Brave New World had taken in $141.1M domestic).
Here’s how the 3-Day looked…
- Friday – $9M
- Saturday – $13.4M
- Sunday – $10.7M
Thunderbolts* had every advantage going into Week 2, with Marvel unveiling The New Avengers as the alternate title the asterisk has been promising while also earmarking the film’s director Jake Schreier to take the coveted director’s seat on the MCU’s forthcoming X-Men reboot. New competition was virtually nonexistent this frame, while reviews and word of mouth were solid… so why is this film still performing behind Brave New World? That question contains too many multitudes to answer, but it does bring doubts on the potential of Fantastic Four later this summer as the MCU scrambles to turn the sprawling/uneven Multiverse Saga into a cohesive whole.
Overseas Thunderbolts* is earning lockstep with domestic at $34M in 52 material territories for a $143.7M international total and $272.2M globally, the latter number a little under Brave New World’s $289.4M at this point. IMAX locations accounted for $6.2M WW ($3.2M domestic) for a $29M total in the large format. The Top 3 current markets are the UK ($15.5M), China ($13.8M), and Mexico ($11.2M).
Other Notable Performances
WB’s horror hit Sinners performed at the higher end of our expectations with $21.1M to maintain #2 status for a $214.4M domestic total, surpassing It: Chapter Two ($211.59M). With $283.3M globally, it has now surpassed Jordan Peele’s Get Out ($252.29M) and Us ($255.6M) as well as M. Night Shyamalan’s Split ($278.75M). It is currently the 16th highest-grossing horror movie of all time worldwide. Meanwhile, the studio’s A Minecraft Movie just passed the $900M global milestone ($909.6M). Warner Bros. has now surpassed Disney as the #1 studio of 2025 with 27.17% of the market to date.
A24 launched the dark comedy Friendship onto 6 screens with an impressive $451,904 for a $75,317 PSA. Starring SNL’s Tim Robinson and Paul Rudd, the film earned a 93% on RT and could be a breakout hit when it gets a wider release on Memorial Day.
RLJ Entertainment’s Clown in a Cornfield clocked in at #5, earning an estimated $3.65M on 2,277 screens for a $1,603 PSA, while audiences branded it with a “C+” CinemaScore.
The B-action programmer Shadow Force from director Joe Carnahan opened limp at #6 with an estimated $2M in 2,170 locations for a $929 PSA. The film stars Kerry Washington and Omar Sy as special forces operatives gone rogue when they fall in love. Released by Lionsgate, it received poor reviews with 33% on RT, although the audience score was a “B.”
Vertical Entertainment’s action comedy Fight or Flight starring Josh Hartnett failed to take off, landing at #7 with $2M on 2,153 screens for a $930 PSA. Unlike Shadow Force, this one was Certified Fresh with 76% on RT. However, the combination of violence and laughs for this wild blend of John Wick and Smokin’ Aces on an airplane didn’t connect with audiences, who gave it a “C+” CinemaScore.
Next Weekend
New Line is bringing us Final Destination Bloodlines, the sixth in the series and the first new entry since 2011, and the last featuring the late Tony Todd as the enigmatic William Bludworth. Known for its clever kills, the franchise’s biggest opener was the fourth entry, The Final Destination, with $27.4M, but this one is looking to debut big with a prime summer slot without major competition. Next week also sees The Weeknd’s Hurry Up Tomorrow co-starring Jenna Ortega and Barry Keoghan, which apparently had a difficult time finding a distributor until Lionsgate came along.
Sunday Studio Estimates | Weekend 19 – 2025
Total 3-Day Domestic Gross: $83,246,605 | (-13.4% vs 2024)
| Title | Weekend Estimate | % Change | Locations | Location Change | PSA | Domestic Total | Week | Distributor |
| Thunderbolts* | $33,100,000 | -55% | 4,330 | n/c | $7,644 | 128,454,195 | 2 | Walt Disney |
| Sinners | $21,100,000 | -36% | 3,502 | 155 | $6,025 | 214,437,000 | 4 | Warner Bros. |
| A Minecraft Movie | $7,950,000 | -42% | 3,468 | -103 | $2,292 | 408,986,000 | 6 | Warner Bros. |
| The Accountant 2 | $6,096,020 | -36% | 3,402 | -208 | $1,792 | 50,896,775 | 3 | Amazon MGM S… |
| Clown in a Cornfield | $3,650,000 | 2,277 | $1,603 | 3,650,000 | 1 | RLJ Entertai… | ||
| Shadow Force | $2,015,000 | 2,170 | $929 | 2,015,000 | 1 | Lionsgate | ||
| Fight or Flight | $2,001,252 | 2,153 | $930 | 2,001,252 | 1 | Vertical Ent… | ||
| Until Dawn | $2,000,000 | -48% | 2,465 | -590 | $811 | 18,002,000 | 3 | Sony Pictures |
| The Amateur | $1,100,000 | -43% | 1,200 | -935 | $917 | 38,950,469 | 5 | 20th Century… |
| The King of Kings | $680,656 | -60% | 1,089 | -946 | $625 | 59,074,802 | 5 | Angel Studios |
| Warfare | $558,260 | -56% | 719 | -596 | $776 | 25,230,373 | 5 | A24 |
| Friendship | $451,904 | 6 | $75,317 | 451,904 | 1 | A24 | ||
| Disney’s Snow White | $335,000 | 54% | 1,330 | #ERROR! | $252 | 86,494,529 | 8 | Walt Disney |
| Captain America: Brave New World | $78,000 | -47% | 75 | -30 | $1,040 | 200,469,390 | 13 | Walt Disney |
| Tall Tales | $66,350 | 46 | $1,442 | 66,350 | 1 | Oscilloscope… | ||
| Drop | $65,000 | -70% | 146 | -324 | $445 | 16,578,000 | 5 | Universal |
| The Wedding Banquet | $57,299 | -45% | 67 | -16 | $855 | 2,010,458 | 4 | Bleecker Street |
| The Legend of Ochi | $54,782 | -84% | 141 | -863 | $389 | 2,387,526 | 4 | A24 |
| Caught by the Tides | $33,800 | 2 | $16,900 | 33,800 | 1 | Janus Films | ||
| The Friend | $23,177 | -48% | 59 | -8 | $393 | 3,886,701 | 7 | Bleecker Street |
| Pavements | $22,948 | 76% | 3 | 2 | $7,649 | 44,057 | 2 | Utopia |
| When Fall is Coming | $12,033 | 137% | 16 | 9 | $752 | 75,578 | 6 | Music Box Films |
| ADA: My Mother the Architect | $11,594 | 1 | $11,594 | 11,594 | 1 | Chapter Two … | ||
| Vulcanizadora | $6,440 | 23% | 6 | 5 | $1,073 | 14,427 | 2 | Oscilloscope… |
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