This image released by Marvel Studios shows Florence Pugh in a scene from ‘Thunderbolts.’Marvel Studios/The Canadian Press
Marvel movie “Thunderbolts” opened Hollywood’s summer movie season with an estimated $76 million in U.S. and Canadian ticket sales over its first three days, distributor Walt Disney said on Sunday.
The returns were in line with pre-weekend forecasts, though below the $88.8 million opening of Marvel’s “Captain America: Brave New World” in February.
“Thunderbolts” added $86.1 million in international markets for a global total of $162.1 million, Disney said in a statement.
“Thunderbolts” stars Florence Pugh, Sebastian Stan and David Harbour as anti-heroes who are forced to work together to fight a supervillain. It is the 36th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
The movie business is still hovering below pre-pandemic levels, and a healthy summer is key to that effort. Hollywood brings in about 40 per cent of the year’s box office receipts during the summer season, which the industry measures from the first weekend in May through Labour Day, the first Monday in September.