The fourth and latest installment in the 'Thor' film franchise scores the franchise's best opening and the third-biggest opening weekend of the year so far.
- July 11, 2022
AceShowbiz - "Thor: Love and Thunder" is storming its way to the North American box office on its first weekend. The latest Marvel release rules the chart upon its entry with an estimated $143 million, easily knocking down "Minions: The Rise of Gru" to the second place.
The mighty opening number fell a bit short of the industry estimates of $150 million, but it still posted the franchise's best opening. The fourth "Thor" movie surpassed its predecessor, 2017's "Thor: Ragnarok", which opened to $123 million in North America.
"Thor: Love and Thunder" also notched the third-biggest opening weekend of the year so far behind "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness" ($185 million) and "Jurassic World: Dominion" ($145 million).
Directed by Taika Waititi who also helmed "Ragnarok", "Thor 4" received a relatively low score from critics, with an approval rating of 68% on Rotten Tomatoes. The site's critics consensus reads, "In some ways, 'Thor: Love and Thunder' feels like 'Ragnarok' redux - but overall, it offers enough fast-paced fun to make this a worthy addition to the MCU."
Audiences seemingly agreed as they gave an average grade of "B+" on an A+ to F scale on CinemaScore. Those on Twitter were even more ruthless, with one critic tweeting, "Not a single laugh for any of the barely-there jokes that make the entire thing! I feel … embarrassed for it? #ThorLoveAndThunder."
Internationally, "Love and Thunder" is also still a force to be reckoned with, opening ahead of expectations with $159 million from 47 markets, pushing its global tally to $302 million. The film cost $250 million to produce and roughly $100 million to promote.
Forced down to the second place on its second weekend, "Minions: The Rise of Gru" bagged an estimated $45.6 million. "Top Gun: Maverick" also falls one place to No. 3 with approximately $15.5 million. "Elvis" is down 3-4 with an estimated $11 million, while "Jurassic World: Dominion" barely stays in the top five with approximately $8.4 million.
Top 10 of North America Box Office (Jul. 08-10, 2022):
- "Thor: Love and Thunder" - $143 million
- "Minions: The Rise of Gru" - $45.6 million
- "Top Gun: Maverick" - $15.5 million
- "Elvis" - $11 million
- "Jurassic World: Dominion" - $8.4 million
- "The Black Phone" - $7.6 million
- "Lightyear" - $2.9 million
- "Marcel the Shell with Shoes On" - $340,000
- "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness" - $262,000
- "Mr. Malcolm's List" - $245,416
