A new report reveals how audiences are reacting to Thunderbolts* test screenings, and it appears to be good news for fans looking forward to the next Marvel movie.
A couple months back, David Harbour (who plays Red Guardian in Thunderbolts*) shared that internal test screenings were garnering positive reactions, adding that "it's going to really surprise people."
With that in mind, more positive feedback to test screenings does not come as a complete surprise. Still, it is exciting news for those looking forward to the movie's release in May.
Thunderbolts* Test Screenings Seeing Positive Feedback
According to industry insider Jeff Sneider, audiences are reacting fairly positively to Thunderbolts* test screenings.
He said that he "heard" that the film "is actually pretty good," but that Disney is struggling to "sell it" to audiences:
"I’ve heard that 'Thunderbolts*' is actually pretty good and that Disney just has no idea how to sell it."
Sneider also told fans to expect to see more of the members of the Thunderbolts, as well as the "New Avengers and the Fantastic Four," in upcoming projects — a statement backed up by the fact that most of the team has been confirmed for Avengers: Doomsday:
"I’m told that the Thunderbolts/New Avengers and the Fantastic Four are going to get big minutes in future MCU movies, as they’ll be the characters who start popping up all over the place in random ways."
It is worth noting that these reports come from anonymous sources and may not be entirely reliable and that opinions can change between test screenings.
For instance, in early March, Sneider said he heard this summer's Superman movie was "terrible."
Another scooper encouraged fans to "disregard" this, and wait for reactions once the movie was finished — which is presumably the stage of testing Thunderbolts* is currently in. Proving this point, a couple weeks later, Sneider shared that someone else told him they "liked it."
All this to say, it is unknown how many people saw the test screenings, and who shared the information with Sneider leading him to this conclusion about Thunderbolts*.
How Is Marvel Advertising Thunderbolts* So Far?
Thunderbolts* certainly does not have the recognizability factor of upcoming films like The Fantastic Four or Avengers: Doomsday, so it does make sense that the movie is proving tricky to advertise.
So far, Marvel has been leaning toward more self-aware meta-commentary in advertising Thunderbolts*. For instance, the "Absolute Cinema" trailer highlights several beloved non-MCU movies that members of the Thunderbolts* creative team have been working on.
Plus, the "Absolute Cinema" title is likely a reference to a meme featuring Martin Scorsese and those words. The photo in the meme came from an infamous article wherein Scorsese argued that Marvel movies were, in short, not real cinema.
In a similar vein, an early public synopsis for the movie referred to the team as "the MCU’s least anticipated band of misfits," and claimed that artists "sold out" by being involved in the movie:
"Marvel Studios and a crew of indie veterans who sold out present 'Thunderbolts*,' an irreverent team-up featuring depressed assassin Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh) alongside the MCU’s least anticipated band of misfits."
Given this (and the meaning behind the asterisk in Thunderbolts* being to direct people to a disclaimer saying, "The Avengers are not available,") it seems the movie truly is leaning into that self-aware energy, rather than taking itself too seriously.
It remains to be seen if that will be enough to attract audiences and how Marvel will approach additional promotion for the movie as its May 2 release date approaches.
Gillian Blum has been a writer at The Direct since 2022, reporting primarily from New York City. Though she covers news from across the entertainment industry, Gillian has a particular focus on Marvel and DC, including comics, movies, and television shows. She also commonly reports on Percy Jackson, Invincible, and other similar franchises.
