The latest entry in Disney’s Thor series triumphed at the weekend box office with a $143 million debut.
But despite the impressive domestic earnings, the latest Marvel Cinematic Universe entry fell slightly short of expectations set for a $150 million opening, according to Variety.
Chris Hemsworth’s fourth Thor solo film also suffered from mixed but positive reviews and a B+ CinemaScore.
Close: Disney’s Thor: Love And Thunder made $143 million over the weekends, according to Variety, though it fell short of $150 million expectations; Chris Hemsworth and Natalie Portman star in the film
Thor: Love And Thunder has been shown in 4,375 theaters in North America.
Though Thor: Ragnarok, Love And Thunder grossed $20 million more in its opening week than the final film in the series, it earned slightly less than its predecessor when inflation is factored in.
Still, the Marvel film can boast the third-biggest opening weekend of 2022, behind Jurassic World Dominion and Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness.
Unlike the earlier Marvel film or last year’s popular Spider-Man: No Way Home, Love And Thunder doesn’t have multiple colliding universes.
Not quite: Love And Thunder (pictured) made $20 million more than the last film in the series, Ragnarok, but that earlier film made more when adjusted for inflation
Although Chris Pratt and the rest of the Guardians of the Galaxy are briefly introduced at the beginning of the film, it’s primarily left to Chris Hemsworth and his co-stars, including Tessa Thompson and director/actor Taika Waititi.
Natalie Portman returns to the franchise after sitting out Ragnarok and playing Thor’s former girlfriend Jane Foster, who took over some of his powers and took over his magical hammer.
Christian Bale also stars as the villain Gorr the God Butcher who hopes to destroy all the gods, while Russell Crowe makes a humorous cameo as Zeus.
It’s unclear if Thor: Love And Thunder will have the staying power of other summer hits — most notably Top Gun: Maverick — as the film only received a 68 percent re-rating from critics polled by Rotten Tomatoes.
When only the top critics of the most reputable publications are considered — which omits many sites that cater almost exclusively to comic book film fans — the score drops to a much more muted 51 percent.
There’s also the issue of its B+ CinemaScore, as most MCU films get a grade of A- or higher, including the original Thor (2011).
Still number one: It received mixed reviews from critics and only a B+ CinemaScore, raising questions about how it will perform in the coming weeks
Star-studded cast: Natalie Portman, Tessa Thompson, Taika Waititi and Pom Klementeiff attended the London screening of Thor: Love And Thunder
Number two: Last weekend, Minions: Rise Of Gru held first place but was relegated to second place
Deadline reported that RelishMix, an entertainment analytics company, was a little worried about how critics and audiences would take the film.
“Energy levels and tone of voice are wildly mixed and trending positive as Thor’s chatter has returned to the cynicism, playfulness and criticism of the pre-pandemic era,” the company said.
“Some wonder if this is comedy, while others explain that this project swings from superheroism to improv playfulness in Taika-Waititi country.”
Variety’s senior film critic Owen Gleiberman also spoke about the film and Taika’s direction, stating, ‘The joke of realizing that maybe you take a Marvel movie more seriously if you don’t mock it while you’re turning an audience does.’
Despite the mixed critical reviews, it didn’t stop Thor from taking first place at the box office.
In second place was the animated film Minions: Rise Of Gru, which fell 57 percent and grossed an additional $45.55 million for a domestic total of $210 million.
Rising Strong: Animated film Minions: Rise Of Gru came in second, down 57 percent and grossing an additional $45.55 million for a domestic total of $210 million
Still flying high: Top Gun: Maverick earned an additional $15.5 million, and its $597.4 million grand total is a stone’s throw from becoming one of only 12 films to ever make $600 million dollars at the domestic box office
Story: Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis biography also stayed strong at $11 million ($91.1 million total), showing that audiences are still willing to show themselves for non-superhero movies
The action film Top Gun: Maverick, starring Tom Cruise, continued to show remarkable staying power in third place.
It earned an additional $15.5 million, and its $597.4 million grand total is a stone’s throw from becoming one of only 12 films to ever earn $600 million at the domestic box office .
Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis biography also stayed strong at $11 million ($91.1 million total), showing that audiences are still willing to turn up for films that aren’t about superheroes or well-known franchises.
Dinosaur drama: Jurassic World Dominion took home an additional $8.4 million for $350.3 million domestically
Jurassic World Dominion took home an additional $8.4 million for $350.3 million domestically.
Horror film The Black Phone had another respectable weekend, taking home $7.66 million.
Disney’s Toy Story spin-off Lightyear made nearly $3 million for $112.3 million.
The Jenny Slate with Marcel The Shell With Shoes On was a popular counter-program, grossing $340,000 over the weekend for a total of $963.4k.
Marvel: Ninth place was the previous Marvel film Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness. It earned an additional $262,000 for a total of $411.06 million
Ninth was the previous Marvel film Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness. It earned an additional $262,000 for a total of $411.06 million.
Rounding out the top 10 was A24’s stunning sci-fi/action film Everything Everywhere All At Once.
The film received rave reviews, particularly for star Michelle Yeoh, and audiences have continued to embrace it.
The film took home an additional $241,000 to its $67.6 million total.
Rounding out the top 10 was A24’s stunning sci-fi/action film Everything Everywhere All At Once. The film took home an additional $241,000 to its $67.6 million total