It’s not unusual for films to hold test screenings many months in advance so that the filmmakers have insights to take into an editing room, but holding a select event shortly before a global rollout is a different tactic. Although the Hollywood trades might focus on the significance of an opening weekend, most films’ financial future depends on whether or not they can develop strong buzz that suggests to audiences that trekking out to the theater is worth it.
The screenings for Thunderbolts* were strategically held in 10 of the biggest markets in the United States, so it's no surprise that Dallas was one of the top selections. In addition to earning a reputation as the “third coast” for theatergoing behind New York and Los Angeles, Dallas also boasts many of the nation’s premium format screens. Given the importance of IMAX and Dolby screens in boosting average ticket prices, it was important for Thunderbolts* to be seen in the best possible format. AMC NorthPark is one of the nation’s most prominent theaters for immersive spectacles. It was one of the only locations in the world capable of screening blockbusters Avatar: The Way of Water and Top Gun: Maverick at the scale intended by the filmmakers.
AMC NorthPark has frequently held preview screenings for press, but the Thunderbolts* rollout is a rare instance in which the advanced reactions have been baked into the marketing campaign. The notion that the Dallas mall was overrun with comic book fans desperate to see the next chapter in the Marvel Cinematic Universe is undoubtedly good PR for Disney, particularly in the aftermath of the underwhelming box office of the live-action Snow White remake.The fact that Marvel is looking to Dallas as it enters crisis mode isn't surprising.
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It’s easy to become cynical about the value of a Rotten Tomatoes score, as it's a complex metric that doesn’t always represent the feelings of a critical community. Nonetheless, studios have put more effort into adding audience testimonies to advertisements and have paraded interactive moments rather than traditional reviews. Despite earning positive reviews, Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga tanked at the box office last summer, with many pundits suggesting that it did not have enough interest among Gen Z moviegoers; A Minecraft Movie managed to sidestep its scathing reviews by becoming a sensation on social media platforms, allowing the video game adaptation to break records for March.
Dallas has undoubtedly been a prime spot for niche audiences; the world premiere of The Iron Claw at the Texas Theater in 2023 was intended to connect with fans who grew up knowing the tragic story of the Von Erich wrestling family. The screening of Thunderbolts* indicates studios such as Disney are looking to Dallas to determine the national consensus. Given the series of box-office stumbles resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, the SAG-AFTRA strike and the Los Angeles fires, there is more focus than ever on major financial wins. Some executives used the phrase “survive until '25” in response to 2024’s historic box office lows, making the floundering of this year’s film slate even more terrifying for Hollywood.
Marvel Studios is in a particularly precarious position, as it's rare that a franchise has managed to erode audience goodwill in such a short window of time. While Avengers: Endgame grossed over $2.7 billion in 2019, the franchise suffered when it became clear that audiences no longer had the same enthusiasm for the next phase of superhero films; while highly anticipated sequels like Thor: Love and Thunder and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever didn't meet expectations, other installments like Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumnia, The Marvels and Eternals were straight-up flops.
The fact that Marvel is looking to Dallas as it enters crisis mode isn't surprising. The performance of Thunderbolts* has a direct effect on the franchise's slate for the next few years. 2026 will see the crossover event Avengers: Doomsday, which reunites many of the characters introduced in the past few years. Audiences didn’t respond to this year’s Captain America: Brave New World, as the sequel remains one of the lowest-grossing installments in the series (even unadjusted for inflation). However, the promise that characters like Yelena (Florence Pugh), Bucky (Sebastian Stan), John Walker (Wyatt Russell), Red Guardian (David Harbour) and Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen) from Thunderbolts* will return in the next Avengers sequel might help it build anticipation.
Marvel is also marketing one of its most unusual entries to date, as Thunderbolts* is essentially a collection of “leftover” characters who have never led their own films. Both Pugh and Harbour made their Marvel debuts in Black Widow. Russell had a short role on the Disney+ series The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. John-Karem was an antagonist in Ant-Man and the Wasp, and Stan has appeared in various capacities in the franchise since 2011.
The first weekend of May, when Thunderbolts* is scheduled to be released, is the beginning of the summer movie season, which traditionally sees the apex of the year’s box office. Last year had a worrisome start when The Fall Guy underperformed, and Marvel is keen not to let Thunderbolts* make that a trend. If its advanced screening gamble ends up paying off, it won’t be a surprise if Dallas becomes an even more critical launching point for highly anticipated blockbusters.
