Credit: Marvel StudiosThe Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Thor franchise continues to bring thunder crashing into the box office with its latest hammer-swinging, Taika Waititi-directed Asgardian romp, Thor: Love and Thunder (2022).
Thor: Love and Thunder has just grossed $159 million at the box office of 47 international markets, and $302 million globally, coming in just behind Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022) as the second-best weekend of 2022, of all Hollywood films.
Yesterday, the fourth Thor outing starring Chris Hemsworth as God of Thunder Thor Odinson grossed $42.1 million, which stands at 4% higher than Friday’s $40.5 million, bringing the film to $143 million opening weekend.
This is good news for Marvel and Disney, despite previous reports of the Thor: Ragnarok (2017) sequel and comedy-forward Marvel epic falling surprisingly short, especially in comparison to Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022) starring Benedict Cumberbatch as Doctor Strange, which garnered $450 million at the global box office. Spider-Man: No Way Home (2022) (and the Spider-Man franchise as a whole) however remains Marvel and Sony’s real golden goose, having grossed an astonishing $1.8 billion worldwide.
In comparison, last weekend’s Minions: The Rise of Gru (2022) came in just shy of $400 million, at $399.9 million, while Top Gun: Maverick (2022) came in at a whopping $1.184 billion.
However, Disney and Pixar’s earlier Lightyear (2022) starring Chris Evans as Buzz Lightyear, came in with a disappointing $85.6 million opening weekend, considering it had a $200 million budget.
Thor: Love and Thunder‘s Rotten Tomatoes score however stands almost at odds to the box office reports — coming in at the fourth-lowest critic score of all the Marvel Cinematic Universe films — with 68% at the time of writing, compared to a significantly higher 81% audience score.
Despite this, the Chris Hemsworth vehicle Thor: Love and Thunder still remains a smashing success for Marvel Studios and the Walt Disney Company, and fans seem satisfied with this multi-theistic Taika Waititi comedy, turning out to cinemas to watch it in droves — with its galaxy-traversing screaming goats and big-name A-list stars.
The Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Phase Four seems to be shaping up well for the time being — not currently making as big a splash as the Avengers films did, with Avengers: Infinity War (2018) grossing $640.5 million opening weekend worldwide, and Avengers: Endgame (2019) reaping in $1.223 billion — but still proving successful for the multi-billion dollar Marvel Studios.
What do you think of Thor: Love and Thunder‘s box office? Comment down below with your thoughts!
Part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Thor: Love and Thunder premiered in theatres on July 8, 2022.
It stars Chris Hemsworth (Thor Odinson), Natalie Portman (Jane Foster AKA Mighty Thor), Tessa Thompson (Valkyrie), Christian Bale (Gorr the God Butcher), Chris Pratt (Peter Quill), Dave Bautista (Drax the Destroyer), Karen Gillan (Nebula), Pom Klementieff (Mantis), Jaimie Alexander (Lady Sif), and Russell Crowe (Zeus).
The fourth instalment in the Thor franchise, Thor: Love and Thunder is directed by Taika Waititi (Jojo Rabbit) and features Thor Odinson teaming up with new reigning monarch of New Asgard, King Valkyrie, along with his ex-girlfriend Dr. Jane Foster, who now wields the reformed magical hammer Mjolnir, becoming the Mighty Thor. Together, they try to take down Gorr the God Butcher, who is on a quest to rid the universe of any and all godly beings, as he believes that “all gods must die”.
Other MCU Phase Four films on the horizon are Black Panther: Wakanda Forever premiering November 11, 2022, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania on February 17, 2023, and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 on May 5, 2023.