- Monday, May 12, 2025
By: Vibhuti Pathak
Marvel’s Thunderbolts and Ryan Coogler’s Sinners proved unbeatable at the North American box office for yet another weekend, fending off a series of new releases that failed to leave a mark.
The superhero flick and the gritty R-rated drama have now established themselves as early summer juggernauts, with audiences continuing to show strong support.
Now in its second weekend, Thunderbolts took the top spot again, collecting $33.1 million from U.S. and Canadian theaters—a 55 per cent drop from its opening but still impressive in a competitive market. Internationally, the Marvel title pulled in another $34 million, boosting its global earnings to $272.2 million.
This puts it on track to be one of the year’s biggest earners, already ranking fourth both globally and domestically. The film’s performance notably outpaces that of Marvel’s previous offering, Captain America: Brave New World, which suffered a 68 per cent drop in its second weekend. According to analysts, positive reviews and strong word-of-mouth are giving Thunderbolts the edge.
Comscore senior media analyst Paul Dergarabedian remarked that Thunderbolts recalls Marvel’s golden era in terms of audience retention. “The holding power of this film harkens back to the heyday of Marvel,” he said. “The currency of long-term playability is more important than sheer opening weekends.”
Meanwhile, Sinners, which is in its fourth weekend, added $21.1 million in North America and $6.6 million overseas, taking its global total to a remarkable $283.3 million.
The film also surpassed the $200 million domestic milestone—a rare feat for an original R-rated production. Due to popular demand, the movie will return to 70mm IMAX screens next weekend, potentially boosting its haul even further.
The Minecraft Movie, now in its sixth week, remains a strong player in third place, bringing in just under $8 million. It has now grossed $409 million domestically and a staggering $909.6 million globally. The fourth and fifth places went to The Accountant 2 ($6.1 million) and horror newcomer Clown in a Cornfield, which earned $3.7 million—a notable success for its distributor, IFC.
Despite multiple new releases this weekend, none could break into the top three. Shadow Force, an action film starring Kerry Washington and Omar Sy, made $2 million from over 2,100 screens. Flight or Fight, a thriller featuring Josh Hartnett battling assassins mid-air, also brought in around $2 million.
Other modest debuts included Until Dawn ($2 million), The Amateur ($1.1 million), and The King of Kings ($680,656).
On the limited release front, A24 scored a quiet triumph with Friendship, a quirky buddy comedy starring Tim Robinson and Paul Rudd. Launching on just six screens in New York and Los Angeles, it reported the best per-screen average of the year at $75,317, with many shows selling out. A nationwide expansion is set for Memorial Day weekend.
Despite a lull typical of the second weekend in May, the overall 2025 box office is still up about 16 per cent compared to last year, although it lags over 32 per cent behind 2019’s pre-pandemic numbers. Next week promises a shake-up with the release of Final Destination: Bloodlines, ahead of two major titles—Disney’s live-action Lilo & Stitch and Tom Cruise’s finale Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning—slated for the holiday weekend.
Top 5 Box Office – May 9–11, 2025 (Domestic):
Thunderbolts – $33.1M
Sinners – $21.1M
A Minecraft Movie – $8M
The Accountant 2 – $6.1M
Clown in a Cornfield – $3.7M
