As usual with every new Marvel movie that comes out, Thor: Love and Thunder’s opening weekend saw Taika Waititi’s second go at the MCU lead the box office with the added good news that Thor Odinson’s fourth movie is now the superhero's best performer with a massive box office haul to boast.
Early screenings for Love and Thunder started as early as Wednesday in some parts of the world, while in the United States the film collected a hefty $29m in Thursday previews, already signaling a healthy premiere, at least from a commercial standpoint. As for the film’s artistic merits, Love and Thunder has quickly become a divisive entry for MCU fans, with many clearly preferring Waititi’s own Thor: Ragnarok and others claiming The Dark World might be better.
Nevertheless, that won’t stop the god of thunder from securing some healthy profits for Marvel Studios now that it’s been confirmed Love and Thunder’s opening weekend in the U.S. saw it earn $143m at the box office. That narrowly beats the previous number obtained by Ragnarok in 2017, $122.7m, and easily tops Chris Hemsworth's first couple of movies, Thor and Thor: The Dark World, which earned $65.7m and $85.7m, respectively — though adjusting inflation Ragnarok would still edge Thor's latest adventure.
On a worldwide scale, Love and Thunder earned as much as $302m, meaning the movie is already quite close to becoming profitable against its estimated $350m costs, which accounts for both film budget and marketing expenses. Despite falling short of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’ $185m opening weekend, or even Jurassic World Dominion ($145m), Thor’s return to cinemas confirms the trend of a mostly recovered cinema industry thanks to films like Minions: The Rise of Gru, which came second at the box office.
Although in terms of dollars Love and Thunder might be king, it’s arguable whether this is Thor’s best MCU movie, as the film fully commits to Waititi’s penchant for parody and comedy even more so than Ragnarok did. Marvel Studios has struggled to find its footing in Phase Four, as many of the movies that have come out over the past year are ranked among the worst MCU films ever, and Love and Thunder does little to fix that apparent lack of direction.
Even if Love and Thunder did confirm Thor will continue to be an MCU mainstay for the coming years, it remains if the film will permanently Hemsworth's portrayal of the character in the future, let alone his story or place among the next Avengers lineup.
Thor: Love and Thunder is currently available in theaters.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter