Disney’s “Thor: Love and Thunder,” Marvel’s fourth independent story about Chris Hemsworth’s Asgardian superhero, won a box office victory with its $ 143 million debut.
The film, which is projected in 4,375 U.S. cinemas, came in slightly behind estimates of $ 150 million, but the returns from the opening weekend are certainly something to celebrate. In particular, “Thor 4” had a bigger start than its predecessor, the quirky 2017 action comedy “Thor: Ragnarok,” which opened for $ 123 million in North America. “Love and Thunder” also achieved the third largest opening weekend of the year behind “Jurassic World Dominion” ($ 145 million) and “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” ($ 185 million). ).
Movie theater owners are excited that “Love and Thunder” continues a strong summer film season, which has so far generated $ 2.27 billion, according to Comscore. In a promising sign for the exhibition industry, these returns are 217% above the same point in 2021 and only 12% behind the same point in 2019.
At the international box office, “Love and Thunder” opened ahead of expectations with $ 159 million from 47 markets, which increased its overall figure to $ 302 million. The film cost $ 250 million to produce and about $ 100 million to promote it.
The opening weekend crowds for “Thor: Love and Thunder” were overwhelmingly male, and men accounted for 60% of ticket buyers. “Thor” also benefited greatly from Imax, 3D and other premium formats, which accounted for 36% of global ticket sales. Imax alone contributed $ 23 million worldwide, including $ 13.8 million in North America.
Since the original “Thor,” which was released by Paramount, opened in 2011 for $ 65 million, the series has only grown in popularity over the past decade. But while Thor has become a fan favorite, the new superhero adventure lacks the multiversal component that fueled the massive turnout of “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” or “Spider-Man: No Way Man “, and that’s why the ticket. sales did not reach these levels. While the Guardians of the Galaxy appear briefly in “Love and Thunder,” the story is rather a unique adventure in Marvel’s vast film universe. In terms of opening weekend returns, “Thor 4” got the 12th best start in the 29-movie franchise.
“Thor: Ragnarok” filmmaker Taika Waititi once again directed “Love and Thunder,” which follows the Norse god Hemsworth as he reunites with his ex-partner Jane Foster (Natalie Portman), who now runs his own hammer like the Mighty Thor. Together, they embark on a journey to defeat the galactic villain Gorr the God Butcher (a weak-looking Christian Bale), who is determined in his plan to purge the universe of all divine things.
Critics and members of the public did not like “Love and Thunder” as much as the unbridled “Ragnarok”. The most recent delivery has 68% on Rotten Tomatoes and a CinemaScore “B +”. In comparison, “Ragnarok” got 93% on Rotten Tomatoes and an “A-“ CinemaScore ”.
In a distant second place, Universal and Illumination’s “Minions: The Rise of Crane” earned $ 45.5 million between Friday and Sunday, a 57% drop from its opening weekend. So far, the fifth entry in the animated franchise “Despicable Me” has grossed an impressive $ 210 million at the national box office and $ 399.8 million worldwide.
At number 3, Paramount’s “Top Gun: Maverick” stayed on its way with another major turnout, even though the film has been in theaters for nearly two months. The highly successful action sequel brought in $ 15.5 million from 3,513 theaters in its seventh weekend release, marking a 40% drop from its previous release. These ticket sales bring the film’s national count to $ 597 million, a stone’s throw from becoming one of the 12 films that have ever surpassed $ 600 million in North America. North.
Director Baz Luhrmann’s musical biopic, “Elvis,” came in fourth with $ 11 million coming from 3,714 theaters, a 40% drop from last weekend. The kaleidoscopic Warner Bros. film, starring Austin Butler as the king of rock and roll, has quietly advanced to the box office, grossing a solid $ 91.1 million in North America so far.
Universal’s “Jurassic World Dominion” dinosaur tent took fifth place, earning $ 8.4 million from 3,251 theaters in its fifth big-screen weekend. With these returns, the sixth chapter of the “Jurassic” franchise has surpassed $ 350 million at the national box office, a notable benchmark in times of pandemic. The film’s predecessor, 2018’s “Fallen Kingdom,” ended its U.S. box office with $ 417 million.
Elsewhere, A24’s wellness film “Marcel the Shell With Shoes On” continues to delight audiences, bringing in $ 340,000 from 48 theaters in its third limited-release weekend. The film, about an inch-tall shell (voiced by Jenny Slate), has grossed $ 963,416 as it is slowly spreading across the United States.
“Marcel the Shell” finished the weekend in eighth place, one place ahead of “Mr. Malcolm’s List,” which was screened at 20 times more cinemas.The vintage Bleecker Street drama stumbled upon the slot number 9 with $ 245,126 of 1,067 screens, bringing its two-week count to $ 1.6 million.
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