New information could suggest that Thunderbolts* will break this disappointing MCU record when it eventually comes to Disney+. It has been about 100 days since Thunderbolts came to theaters in early May. The new Marvel team-up movie from Beef director Jake Schreier earned stellar reviews from critics but failed to pick up any steam at the box office, sitting in the bottom five of the franchise's all-time box office rankings.
Despite its lackluster run in theaters, fans have yet to receive a Disney+ release date for the Florence Pugh-led MCU epic. That was until a recent leaked TV spot seemingly revealed the movie is coming to streaming soon, potentially breaking a Disney+ streaming record in the process.
A fan on Reddit posted what looks to be a TV spot airing on Greek TV, revealing that Thunderbolts* is reportedly coming to Disney+ on Wednesday, August 27.
If this is the case, the 2025 Marvel movie would make the longest gap between theatrical release and coming to streaming, breaking the mark previously held by Deadpool & Wolverine.
Thunderbolts* originally opened in theaters on May 2. If the new film is coming to streaming on August 27, there would be a 117-day gap between releases, beating the Deadpool threequel's 110-day mark.
Over the last couple of years, Marvel Studios releases have typically been coming to streaming somewhere around 100 days after their theatrical debut, so while longer than usual, this gap is still right around where they have been hitting.
See below for a complete list of Marvel Studios releases and their gap between coming to the big screen and Disney+:
- Thunderbolts* - 117 days (rumored)
- Captain America: Brave New World - 103 days
- Deadpool & Wolverine - 110 days
- The Marvels - 92 days
- Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 - 89 days
- Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania - 89 days
- Black Panther: Wakanda Forever - 82 days
- Thor: Love and Thunder - 62 days
- Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness - 47 days
- Eternals - 68 days
- Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings - 70 days
- Black Widow - 89 days
Thunderbolts* tells the story of a rag-tag group of MCU heroes, headlined by Florence Pugh's Yelena Belova and Sebastian Stan's Bucky Barnes, forced together after being cast aside and branded expendable by their government handlers. The movie introduced a brand-new Marvel Studios superhero team, the New Avengers, all of whom have been confirmed to appear in next year's Avengers: Doomsday.
Why Is Thunderbolts' Disney+ Release Taking So Long?
117 days is a long time! Given how Thunderbolts* fared at the box office, earning one of the worst global hauls in the history of the MCU, many had assumed the movie would be quick to come to Disney+ as Disney tried to cut bait on the film. However, that was not the case.
Instead, to the shock of many, Thunderbolts will seemingly break the record for the longest time between theatrical and Disney+ releases. This extended wait likely has some specific reasoning behind it, as Disney continues to shift its overall streaming strategy.
Funnilly enough, the likely reason for this long wait is another MCU movie, Fantastic Four: First Steps.
First Steps' theatrical debut came right in the middle of where fans would have likely expected Thunderbolts' streaming release to happen (read more about Fantastic Four: First Steps here), potentially pushing it a bit so the Marvel mindshare was primarily focused on the new movie in theaters at the time.
Now, some time has passed since Fantastic Four hit the silver screen, and Disney is in the clear to put the focus back on Thunderbolts once again, announcing a late August streaming release.
