What a year 2025 has been for the movies. It's wild that we can say that when we're only just over halfway through the year. But it's true: We've had a lot of bangers, and that's just this summer. It might not have felt like it at first, but this year could go down in history as one of the most stacked - particularly July, which had some major releases.
Since January, we've had three Marvel releases, a live-action version of How To Train Your Dragon, and sequels to classic movie franchises I Know What You Did Last Summer, The Naked Gun, and Freakier Friday. And that's not even taking the big three of July into account, as Jurassic World Rebirth, Superman, and The Fantastic Four: First Steps all thrilled us this summer.
Yep, this year has been full of non-stop entertainment on the silver screen. However, the very best of those movies is now available to stream on the small screen, meaning we can revisit its greatness all over again.
Thunderbolts* makes its long-awaited streaming debut on Disney Plus (and tops its charts!)
Marvel Studios' Thunderbolts* has finally arrived on Disney Plus and it has very quickly earned itself a place at the top of the platform's charts. The Marvel Cinematic Universe film debuted at No. 1 on the Disney Plus charts within 24 hours of its August 27 arrival, which isn't surprising considering how highly-anticipated its streaming debut was.
Released in theaters on May 1, Thunderbolts* ended up making fans wait longer than any other MCU film before it was made available on Disney Plus. Although the reason for that was never confirmed, it could have had something to do with the theatrical release of The Fantastic Four: First Steps in July, with Marvel perhaps wanting to avoid promoting its previous movie during the release of its current one.
Thunderbolts* received critical acclaim upon its release, debuting with 95% on Rotten Tomatoes as many called it one of Marvel's best movies since 2019's Avengers: Endgame. Some even called it one of the best Marvel movies ever made. If you've watched it already, you'll know that it has earned that reputation, because the film is nothing short of phenomenal.
It was also seen as a high point for the MCU during a time when it was struggling critically. Phase 5, in particular, has received mixed to negative reviews from both fans and critics with only a handful of titles (primarily Deadpool and Wolverine, Loki season 2, Agatha All Along, and Daredevil: Born Again) receiving praise. Thunderbolts* was the next step in that journey for Marvel Studios as it steers the franchise back to its former glory ahead of the big releases of Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars next year.
The film unfortunately fell a little short of its breakeven target, making it one of the rare few MCU movies not to break even at the box office. That said, it finished its box office run above $370 million, which is still very impressive for a movie about lesser-known superheroes. And it wasn't too far off the around $425 million it needed to make, so merchandise sales, digital sales, home media sales, and even streams on Disney Plus will make the film a long-term profitable play for Marvel. And given how its performing on Disney Plus already, it's clear that there is still an appetite for the New Avengers' adventures.
Starring Florence Pugh as Yelena Belova, Sebastian Stan as Bucky Barnes / Winter Soldier, Wyatt Russell as John Walker / US Agent, Hannah John-Kamen as Ava Starr / Ghost, David Harbour as Alexei Shostakov / Red Guardian, Lewis Pullman as Bob / Sentry, and Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, the film pulls a number of ongoing plotlines from throughout the Multiverse Saga together, making it one of the MCU's most important films.
With all of that in mind, stop what you're doing right now and go and watch Thunderbolts*, which is now streaming on Disney Plus!