The Avengers may not be assembling anytime soon, but the Thunderbolts are crashing into theaters on May 2 in Marvel Studios’ “Thunderbolts*”. With just a few weeks before its theatrical release, recent test screenings have generated positive reviews and reactions from audience members and viewers alike.
Reddit user Spiritual-Smoke-4605, who attended a test screening (a preview screening of a film or television series before its general release to gauge audience reaction) near Burbank, Calif., wrote that the audience seemed to enjoy it and couldn’t stop talking about it after the screening.
“I won’t say too much but I think if you’re feeling jaded by the [superhero] genre because they’re all feeling the same, I would check this one out,” they wrote. “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.”
According to ComicBook, this particular source has gained credibility for accurately predicting the reception of other movies, adding weight to their assessment of “Thunderbolts*”.
With such positive reactions from early viewers, “Thunderbolts*” has been consistently been marketed as a different type of Marvel movie throughout the press tour, with the actors mentioning its individuality in various interviews. Marvel’s official YouTube channel Marvel Entertainment has even advertised it as such. One trailer, titled “ABSOLUTE CINEMA” pitched the movie like an A24 film and highlighted not only the cast and crew, but some of their acclaimed works as well, including Florence Pugh’s “Midsommar”, Sebastian Stan’s “A Different Man”, director Jake Schreier’s “Beef”, and more.
“It ended up becoming this…indie, A24-feeling assassin movie with Marvel superheroes,” Pugh told Empire, who’s reprising her role as assassin Yelena Belova and was previously seen in “Black Widow” and “Hawkeye”. “There’s a certain amount of that “Beef” tone in it, that does feel different,” Schreier adds. “There’s an emotional darkness that we brought to this that is resonant, but doesn’t come at the expense of comedy.”
Although the film has received positive feedback from viewers, box office projections predict otherwise. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the movie is “…headed for a domestic debut in the $63 million to $77 million range, with a target number of $70 million,” which isn’t a bad number, but is “…on the lower end for a Marvel Cinematic Universe title opening in summer.” However, this shouldn’t be taken at face value, as most of these characters haven’t been seen in a Marvel project in years. The Hollywood Reporter also noted that “Tracking is hardly scientific in the digital age. Often, numbers can be wildly off [, as] Marvel’s pandemic-era MCU entry “Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings”, came on tracking at $45 million but opened to more than $75 million in September 2021.”
Additionally, ComicBook added that “…it’s important to keep in mind that these are just projections,” and “With a few weeks to go before “Thunderbolts*” arrives, there’s still a chance the film will exceed these initial expectations.” ComicBook also noted that due to the movie’s positive response and high profile, both word of mouth and lack of competition could contribute to its success and healthy box office run.
The official overview on Marvel.com about “Thunderbolts*” reads, “Marvel Studios assembles an unconventional team of antiheroes—Yelena Belova (Pugh), Bucky Barnes (Stan), Red Guardian (David Harbour), Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen), Taskmaster (Olga Kurylenko) and John Walker (Wyatt Russell). After finding themselves ensnared in a death trap set by Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus), 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?”
Tickets for “Thunderbolts*” went on sale on April 7. You can purchase them on Fandango.com, or wherever else tickets are sold. In the meantime, check out the final trailer and a clip from the movie below:
