“Thor: Love and Thunder” Hammers Out Franchise-Best Opening Weekend
Thor: Love and Thunder has just notched the best opening weekend in the franchise’s history. Co-writer/director Taika Waititi can now rest assured that his singular vision for the God of Thunder is shared by millions, as Love and Thunder took in a massive $302 million global haul this past weekend. Chris Hemsworth is also now the first actor in the Marvel Cinematic Universe to have four standalone films in the MCU, and after Love and Thunder‘s thunderous opening weekend (apologies), there’s no reason to think we won’t be seeing a Thor 5.
The breakdown for Love and Thunder‘s opening haul is impressive. The 29th film in the MCU took in $143 million in the domestic box office, the third-best opening during the pandemic era, behind Spider-Man: No Way Home‘s $260 million and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness‘s $187.4 million. The additional $159 million that Love and Thunder earned overseas launched it north of $300 million for its total opening weekend haul.
There was massive interest in Love and Thunder thanks to the breath of fresh air that Waititi breathed into the franchise with his colorful cosmic epic Thor: Ragnarok back in 2017. With Love and Thunder, Waititi brought Natalie Portman back to the franchise as Jane Foster, after she sat out the trippy happenings in Ragnarok. Only this time, Portman’s Foster was doing double duty as the Mighty Thor, the six-foot-tall superwoman capable of wielding Thor’s magical hammer Mjolnir. Love and Thunder also boasted a delicious turn from Christian Bale as the film’s villain, Gorr the God Butcher, who is intent on taking out all the gods and goddesses, Thor and Mighty Thor included, in the universe.
Love and Thunder bested Ragnarok‘s opening by quite a margin—Waititi’s first Thor film took in $122.7 million in 2017. Prior to that, the first Thor film took in $65.7 million in 2011, followed by Thor: The Dark World in 2013, which brought in $85.7.
One imagines a thunderous round of applause for Waititi and the rest of the Love and Thunder cast and crew coming from Marvel Studios HQ.
For more on Thor: Love and Thunder, check out these stories:
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“Thor: Love and Thunder” Teaser Reveals Fresh Footage of Christian Bale’s Lunatic Gorr
Go on a “Thor: Love and Thunder” Adventure in Electric New Look
“Thor: Love and Thunder” Video Tracks Chris Hemsworth’s Thor Legacy
Featured image: Chris Hemsworth as Thor in Marvel Studios’ THOR: LOVE AND THUNDER. Photo courtesy of Marvel Studios. ©Marvel Studios 2022. All Rights Reserved.
