After a very long wait, Thor: Love and Thunder has finally arrived in cinemas worldwide. Taika Waititi, Chris Hemsworth, and Tessa Thompson have returned for another outing with the God of Thunder. However, this time, they have a new (or old) friend along for the ride: Natalie Portman's Jane Foster, aka the Mighty Thor.
While the first reactions from critics after seeing the film were generally positive, the overall reviews for the project painted a far more mixed picture. Needless to say, they aren't quite as glowing as some might expect.
So, how will that factor into the movie's opening weekend box office? Well, if its preview numbers are any indication, Marvel doesn't have much to worry about.
Thor: Love and Thunder's Big Box Office
Thor: Love and Thunder is now out in theaters worldwide, and it's landed with a thunderous boom. As reported by Deadline, the new Taika Waititi film has taken in $29 million from its domestic Thursday preview screens (which started at 3 pm around the United States).
This makes Chris Hemsworth's fourth Thor movie the fifth-best Thursday opening for all of the MCU and the second-best of 2022 overall (just behind Doctor Strange In the Multiverse of Madness). The top five MCU Thursday previews are as follows:
- Avengers: Endgame - $60 million
- Spider-Man: No Way Home - $50 million
- Avengers: Infinity War - $39 million
- Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness - $36 million
- Thor: Love and Thunder - $29 million
The previous movie in fifth place was Avengers: Age of Ultron with $27.6 million, which now sits at number six.
Thor Charges Up an Audience
Love and Thunder is Marvel Studios' 29th film, and somehow, the company is still finding tremendous success. While many worried that interest would die down after the culmination of the Infinity Saga, it seems that might not be the case at all.
But can its first weekend do better than the previous release, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness? The Benedict Cumberbatch film generated $185 million at the domestic opening box office, which gave it the biggest opening of 2022 yet.
Seeing as Natalie Portman's big debut as Mighty Thor came fairly close to Strange's Thursday numbers, the possibility is certainly there. The bigger question, however, is if Black Panther: Wakanda Forever can beat or match up to the success the MCU has found so far in 2022 when it lands in cinemas on November 11 later this year.
Thor: Love and Thunder is now playing in theaters worldwide.
