Thunderbolts* is now in theaters, the second of three Marvel features hitting this year. And while it’s doing pretty well at the box office — at least in comparison to Captain America: Brave New World — it’s not exactly striking a chord with moviegoers. At least, not yet. And that’s likely because folks are waiting for the Thunderbolts* streaming release date. So, when will Thunderbolts* be on Disney+?
Full disclosure up top, since we are (as of this writing) only three days into the release of the movie, Disney hasn’t announced a date for the movie to be available for home viewing. However, before you toss your laptop (or phone) into the sun, just know that we’re pretty good here on the ol’ Comic Book Club as to giving an educated guess about when a movie will be available on PVOD (Premium Video on Demand), as well as hit streaming services like Disney+.
So with that in mind, let’s break down the math and give you our best idea of when you can watch Thunderbolts* at home on Disney+ — as well as whether the MCU movie will hit other services like Netflix and Max.
When Will Thunderbolts* Be Streaming? Here’s Our Educated Guess About The Thunderbolts* Streaming Release Date
First up, let’s talk PVOD. If you don’t know exactly what that means, that’s when the movie will be available on services like Apple TV, Prime Video, Fandango at Home, etc. Usually, companies will charge $19.99 — or sometimes $24.99, or even more — for what they call an at-home theater experience. Basically, you’re paying to either purchase or rent a digital copy of the movie. You know how this works.
For a direct point of comparison, we can look at previous Marvel movies. Deadpool & Wolverine and The Marvels were both released on PVOD 67 days after their theatrical release, while Brave New World hit PVOD 60 days after theatrical release. That latter number hits the same window as fellow Disney release Mufasa, so it’s not outside the norm.
If Thunderbolts* hits PVOD 60 days after release, that would place it on July 2, 2025. If it hits 67 days later? We’re looking at July 8, 2025. My guess here, given this is a summer packed full of big movies, is that unless Thunderbolts* has some serious legs — which it potentially could if word of mouth is good — we’ll see it hit on that earlier date. That also places it nicely before July 4, which, because that hits on a Thursday, will likely lead to a four-day weekend for some. Meaning a nice, long, family time where people may be chilling out and watching movies.
So yeah. Our best guess is that Thunderbolts* will be available to rent or own on PVOD on Tuesday, July 2, 2025. If not? It’ll be on PVOD the week after that.
When Will Thunderbolts* Be On Disney+?
First of all, you’ll definitely be able to watch Yelena (Florence Pugh) and frenemies on Disney+. MCU movies always hit Disney+ first streaming “free” after their PVOD window. That said, when Marvel movies hit Disney+ is a little… Tricky.
The conventional wisdom is that Disney movies hit the streaming service 90 days after theatrical release, or 30 days after they hit PVOD. That was true of The Marvels. But Deadpool & Wolverine hit the PVOD date right on the nose, but then came out on Disney+ 110 days after theatrical release. The reason for that was timing out with Disney+ Day, the anniversary of the service’s debut on November 12.
What about Captain America: Brave New World? As mentioned, it hit PVOD right on time. But I’m writing this on May 4, and we still don’t have a Disney+ release date for the movie. We fully expected it to hit on May 15 (aka 90 days after release), and perhaps it still will. On the other hand, we had speculated back when Cap 4 was released that Disney might want to shunt the movie to June on Disney+, to give Thunderbolts* more room to breathe. That way, Thunderbolts* debuts in May, Cap 4 on Disney+ in June, and Fantastic Four: First Steps theatrically in July.
So if that is what’s happening, what does that mean for Thunderbolts*? 90 days after May 2, 2025, is July 31, 2025. That’s — just like Brave New World — right after the release of Fantastic Four. So while the window would suggest we would get Thunderbolts* on Disney+ on July 30 or August 1 (since Disney+ releases movies on either Wednesday or Thursday)… I’m going to take a stab and say Thunderbolts* will debut later in the year.
Specifically, and I’m going out on a limb here: Thunderbolts* will debut on Disney+ on August 20, 2025. That’s 110 days after theatrical release, and a full month after Fantastic Four hits theaters. It could be earlier, it could be later, but that’s where I’m staking my claim.
Will Thunderbolts* Be On Netflix? Will Thunderbolts* Be On Max?
Thunderbolts* will be a Disney+ exclusive for the foreseeable future. So as the entertainment business currently stands, it won’t hit Netflix, Max, Prime Video, Tubi, or anywhere else… At least for the moment. That said? Last year, Disney+, Hulu, and Max teamed up on a streaming bundle. And given (sorry to bring the real world into this), the insane flux everything is in with tariffs, it’s entirely possible we may see some upheaval in the entertainment industry this year. So while as of this current writing, Thunderbolts* is only going to PVOD, then Disney+… I guess you could say there’s an asterisk at the end of that statement.,
Listen to MarvelVision:
Discover more from Comic Book Club
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.