Marvel’s Thunderbolts and Ryan Coogler’s Sinners once again led the North American box office this weekend, holding strong despite the arrival of several new films. Now in their second and fourth weekends respectively, both films easily outpaced their competition.
Thunderbolts retained the top spot, pulling in $33.1 million domestically — a 55% drop from its opening weekend. It also earned $34 million internationally, pushing its worldwide total to $272.2 million. That already places it as the fourth highest-grossing film of the year both globally and in the U.S. Its performance is notably stronger than Marvel’s previous release, Captain America: Brave New World, which saw a much steeper 68% drop in its second weekend. While reviews don’t always make or break superhero movies, Thunderbolts has clearly benefited from positive word of mouth.
Analyst Paul Dergarabedian commented on the film’s staying power, comparing it to Marvel’s earlier golden era. He emphasized that long-term success matters more than just opening weekend numbers. Disney is also gearing up for another major release this summer with The Fantastic Four: First Steps.
Meanwhile, Sinners continued its impressive run, surpassing $200 million in domestic sales. It brought in $21.1 million in the U.S. and Canada, along with $6.6 million overseas, bringing its global total to $283.3 million. The R-rated original film is set to return to 70mm IMAX screens next weekend due to high demand.
In third place was A Minecraft Movie, which added just under $8 million in its sixth weekend, raising its domestic earnings to $409 million and global haul to nearly $910 million. The Accountant 2 came in fourth with $6.1 million.
Among the new releases, the horror film Clown in a Cornfield fared best, earning $3.7 million — a strong showing for its distributor IFC — and claiming fifth place. Dergarabedian noted that early May typically sees a lull, making it a smart time for smaller films to debut.
Other newcomers struggled to gain traction. Shadow Force, starring Kerry Washington and Omar Sy, made $2 million from over 2,100 screens. Similarly, the action-thriller Fight or Flight, with Josh Hartnett, also brought in about $2 million.
In limited release, the comedy Friendship, featuring Tim Robinson and Paul Rudd, opened on just six screens in New York and Los Angeles but had a stellar debut, with a $75,317 per-screen average — the best of the year so far. A24 is planning a national rollout by Memorial Day.
Although it was a quiet weekend overall, thanks to strong performers like Thunderbolts, Sinners, and A Minecraft Movie, the 2025 box office is currently tracking about 16% ahead of last year. However, it still lags more than 32% behind pre-pandemic 2019 levels.
Looking ahead, Final Destination: Bloodlines is expected to energize the market next weekend before two major releases arrive over the holiday: Disney’s Lilo & Stitch and Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning.
Top 10 Movies – Domestic Box Office (Weekend Estimates):
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Thunderbolts – $33.1 million
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Sinners – $21.1 million
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A Minecraft Movie – $8 million
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The Accountant 2 – $6.1 million
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Clown in a Cornfield – $3.7 million
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Shadow Force – $2 million
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Fight or Flight – $2 million
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Until Dawn – $2 million
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The Amateur – $1.1 million
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The King of Kings – $680,656