To be clear, Thunderbolts hasn’t sunk to the depths of “The Marvels,” which remains the MCU’s lowest-grossing film at just $205M worldwide. But it’s still the second-worst performer in franchise history.
You’re right, there isn’t. The real, reported budget is $180 million.
The reason it needs to make $500 million to break even is because the studio doesn’t get the full box office gross - 50% of it goes to the theaters (because they don’t show movies for free).
So it needs to make double the budget, plus an additional hundred million or so, to cover the marketing costs, putting the real breakeven at around $450 million.
You’re right, there isn’t. The real, reported budget is $180 million.
The reason it needs to make $500 million to break even is because the studio doesn’t get the full box office gross - 50% of it goes to the theaters (because they don’t show movies for free).
So it needs to make double the budget, plus an additional hundred million or so, to cover the marketing costs, putting the real breakeven at around $450 million.
They need to pay the theatre executives.