Florence Pugh has quickly become one of the most exciting stars in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) after the Infinity Saga. Fans and critics alike are praising her performance as Yelena Belova, especially in the latest MCU film, Thunderbolts. Many believe she is the perfect choice to carry on Scarlett Johansson’s legacy as the new Black Widow.
Pugh first appeared in the MCU in Black Widow, which was released in 2021. That movie marked Scarlett Johansson’s final appearance as Natasha Romanoff. It was also the debut of Florence Pugh’s character, Yelena Belova, who instantly won over fans with her strong performance and unique charm.
Black Widow featured a strong cast, including Florence Pugh, Scarlett Johansson, David Harbour, O-T Fagbenle, Olga Kurylenko, William Hurt, Ray Winstone, and Rachel Weisz. The story was set during the timeline of Captain America: Civil War. Unfortunately, the film was released both in theaters and on Disney+ due to the pandemic, which impacted its overall box office performance. Scarlett Johansson even filed a lawsuit against Disney for the hybrid release strategy.
According to Box Office Mojo, Black Widow earned around $183.65 million at the domestic (US) box office and $379.75 million worldwide. Many believe it could have made more if it had received an exclusive theatrical release.
Florence Pugh’s role as Yelena didn’t stop with Black Widow. She returned in the Disney+ series Hawkeye and is now back on the big screen with Thunderbolts, which was released in theaters on May 2. In this new film, critics are once again praising her performance and calling her the heart of the movie.
Thunderbolts is currently enjoying a steady box office run. Even though it faced competition from other movies and recently lost the #1 spot at the domestic box office, it is still performing well. Over its third weekend, the film earned $16.6 million. So far, it has made $155.5 million in the US and $170.7 million overseas. This brings its worldwide total to $326.25 million.
When we compare the two films, Thunderbolts is slowly catching up to Black Widow in global earnings. It is now only $53.4 million away from beating the worldwide box office numbers of Florence Pugh’s debut MCU movie. Industry experts predict that Thunderbolts could earn somewhere between $405 million to $415 million globally by the end of its run.
This means that Florence Pugh is set to surpass her own MCU debut in terms of box office success. Her rising popularity, strong acting, and the support from fans have played a big part in the success of Thunderbolts. With her role getting bigger and better in the Marvel universe, Pugh is proving to be a strong and talented successor to Scarlett Johansson.
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