Thunderbolts* Powers Another Blockbuster Weekend | Weekend of May 2nd, 2025
The box office continues its incredible momentum, delivering yet another fantastic weekend! As of today, year-to-date grosses are soaring at a remarkable +15.6% compared to last year, and the second quarter of 2025 has already surpassed the $1 Billion mark! April was a powerhouse month, bringing in over $875M, with A Minecraft Movie contributing a significant 44% of that total. While we're nearing the high-watermark years of 2018 and 2019, we're also a fantastic 103% ahead of where we were last year at this time!
Taking the crown this weekend is the highly anticipated Thunderbolts*, which debuted impressively at #1 in both admissions (47%) and revenue (52%)! The buzz around this film, now cleverly marketed as The New Avengers, is clearly translating into strong audience turnout, marking an amazing start to May. While an opening north of $100M might have been the talk of the town in pre-pandemic times, the current performance showcases the film's strong appeal and promising staying power leading into Memorial Day weekend.
Sinners continues its remarkable run, showing excellent hold with only a -28% drop in its third weekend. Its sustained critical acclaim (still holding strong at 97% on Rotten Tomatoes) is clearly resonating with audiences.
Family-friendly titles remain a cornerstone of the box office, collectively bringing in a fantastic $90M and representing a dominant 60% of admissions this weekend. This highlights the enduring importance of films for all ages in driving overall attendance as we head into the summer movie season.
A fun and notable entry in the admissions chart was the 50th-anniversary re-release of Monty Python & The Holy Grail, demonstrating the timeless appeal of classic films.
Looking Ahead:
While this weekend doesn't feature any major releases poised to dethrone Thunderbolts*, we have some interesting contenders hitting theaters, including the thriller Shadow Force and the horror-slasher Clown in a Cornfield, which is generating buzz as a potentially fun and self-aware experience. The action-thriller Fight or Flight also adds to the diverse offerings.
However, all eyes are on Memorial Day weekend in just two weeks, which is shaping up to be a colossal event with the releases of Lilo & Stitch and Mission Impossible. Lilo & Stitch is already generating incredible pre-sales, boasting the highest first-day ticket presales for a PG-rated movie of the year so far on Fandango, even surpassing A Minecraft Movie in this metric! Lilo & Stitch is projected to bring in at least $120M, with Mission Impossible adding another $70M+ over the three-day weekend (even higher for the four-day holiday). This is poised to be a truly spectacular weekend for the box office.
May is already off to an incredible start, marking the highest May-to-date in the last five years! With Memorial Day falling early this year, we're set for a truly sensational month at the box office!
How many tickets will be sold this coming weekend? Find out on our next Cinema Ranker and follow us on LinkedIn to stay up to date with the cinema industry.
To learn more about The People Platform's Audience Measurement, click here.
