Disney and Marvel Studios' "Thor: Love and Thunder" was lightning at the domestic box office last weekend, securing first place with $143 million, according to estimates from measurement firm Comscore.
The fourth installment in the "Thor" franchise is the sixth title this year to open above $100 million, continuing an upward trajectory for the theater industry as it recovers from the covid-19 pandemic. This is the first time since June 2018 that new films posted nine-figure openings on consecutive weekends.
Delivering the biggest opening yet for a "Thor" film, "Love and Thunder" also marks the fourth-highest domestic opening of the pandemic era and the third-highest opening of 2022 -- behind "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness" ($187.4 million) and "Jurassic World Dominion" ($145 million). (Columbia Pictures' and Marvel's "Spider-Man: No Way Home" comfortably holds the pandemic record with $260 million.)
Internationally, "Love and Thunder" amassed $159 million last weekend for a worldwide cumulative of $302 million -- the third-highest global launch of the pandemic era and the second-highest global launch of the year.
"It's another home run for Marvel," said Paul Dergarabedian, the senior media analyst for Comscore. "It's unheard of for a Marvel movie not to open at No. 1."
The Thor franchise has grown with each subsequent film, which is a rarity in franchise filmmaking in general but also not uncommon for those of the Marvel variety. The first film opened to $65.7 million in 2011, followed by $85.7 million for "The Dark World" in 2013 and $122.7 million for 2017's "Ragnarok." Taika Waititi, who also directed "Ragnarok," is widely credited with rejuvenating the series, infusing it with humor, irreverence and leaning into larger-than-life metal aesthetics.
Critics skewed mostly positive and the Rotten Tomatoes score is currently sitting at 68% fresh. Audiences, who gave the film a B+ CinemaScore, were heavily male (60%) and 53% were between the ages of 18 and 34, according to exit polls. IMAX reported that $23 million of the global total came from their screens.
Rounding out the top five at the domestic box office last weekend were Universal Pictures' "Minions: The Rise of Gru," which added $45.6 million in its second weekend for a North American cumulative of $210.1 million; Paramount Pictures' "Top Gun: Maverick," which soared to $15 million in its seventh weekend for a North American cumulative of $597.4 million; Warner Bros.' "Elvis," which grossed $11 million in its third weekend for a North American cumulative of $91.1 million; and Universal's "Jurassic World Dominion," which devoured $8.4 million in its fifth weekend for a North American cumulative of $350.3 million.
Expanding to wide release this weekend is A24's "Marcel the Shell with Shoes On," which cracked the top 10 at the domestic box office last weekend while playing in only 48 theaters -- a rare feat in the struggling arthouse market. The animated/live action charmer based on the popular YouTube character of the same name clinched eighth place in its third weekend at the domestic box office with $340,000 for a North American cumulative of $963,416.
In limited release, the documentary "Fire of Love" premiered last weekend in three locations and made an estimated $22,328, while Claire Denis' "Both Sides of the Blade" earned $25,000 from four locations.
The weekend should net about $236.1 million total, which Dergarabedian said is "truly impressive."
"Every week, the marketplace becomes more pre-pandemic like," he said. "This feels like a traditional summer movie season weekend. It's a huge difference from a year ago."
The summer 2022 box office continues to look bright for Hollywood and theater owners, up 217% from last summer. The year as a whole passed the $4 billion mark two weeks ago which is up 233% from last year but still trailing the last pre-pandemic box office year, 2019, by 30%.
"Audiences are embracing the movie theater experience with a greater enthusiasm," Dergarabedian said. "By now, every demographic is interested in going back to theaters. The challenge for theaters going forward is just having enough new movies."
Opening in wide release this weekend are Columbia's literary adaptation "Where the Crawdads Sing" and Paramount's animated "Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank."