THUNDERBOLTS* Director Breaks Silence on Box Office Struggles and Olga Kurylenko’s Role Reduction
Marvel’s Thunderbolts* launched in theaters to strong reviews but fell short of expectations at the box office. Despite an inventive marketing push, the film wrapped its theatrical run with under $400 million globally, a disappointing result for what was expected to be The New Avengers event.
The movie’s uphill battle wasn’t entirely unexpected. The roster featured characters best known to fans of Marvel’s Disney+ shows, and unlike the Avengers, the Thunderbolts* brand didn’t have much mainstream recognition. Now that the film is available digitally and heading to 4K and Blu-ray next week, more audiences may finally discover the team at home.
Director Jake Schreier recently spoke to Variety about the theatrical performance and how he’s processing the numbers.
“For me, it’s so strange trying to grasp how many people watch these things. It was really fun to go around to audience screenings. You can’t even take for granted that you’re going to get a theatrical release, so to be part of a movie that goes out there...it really is about the theatrical experience.”
He added:
“People can share it and talk about it and say what they think, whether they liked it or didn’t, and then have that continue, it’s nice to be part of a movie that gets to have that life.”
Schreier clearly avoided dwelling on box office figures, and honestly, it might not matter much to him. He’s already been tapped to direct Marvel Studios’ upcoming X-Men reboot, one of the most anticipated projects in the MCU’s future.
The director also addressed Olga Kurylenko’s recent comments about her drastically reduced role. Kurylenko, who played Taskmaster in Black Widow, revealed that her character’s return in Thunderbolts* was cut down to a cameo that ended with her death, something she learned after production resumed post-strike.
Schreier explained:
“Yeah, I think Olga has spoken about that. It was something that happened after the strike, when we were redeveloping the script. I know that there are people that have reached out to let me know that they’re displeased with this, and I totally understand that. It’s not something we did lightly.”
“Obviously, I think Olga is a wonderful actress. It’s a hard thing to do. It’s just showing that, for these characters, this is a thing that’s done, and they feel that all of their lives don’t have a ton of value.”
Taskmaster’s fate has divided fans, as some were hoping to see the character redeemed after her mixed reception in Black Widow, while others are indifferent to her exit. But, she did originally have a bigger role that was cut down… drastically.