Thor: Love and Thunder opened to $143 million this weekend, allowing the Marvel release to be another shining example of films topping $100 million following films like The Batman, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Jurassic World: Dominion and Minions: The Rise of Gru. As the summer box office looks to rebound from the pandemic-ravaged 2020 and parts of 2021, openings like this are huge for exhibitors who continue to shout that motion pictures are back and better than ever. The opening is easily the best opening for a Taika Waititi project and surpassed Thor: Ragnarok’s $122.7 million opening. This is also the biggest opening of Natalie Portman’s career, surpassing all three openings for the Star Wars prequels in which she appeared. Its previous high was for Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith which opened to $108 million. Also impressive, this is the third-best opening of 2022 behind Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness ($187.4) and Jurassic World: Dominion ($145 million). With all this good news, why are some looking at the opening with a slightly worried eye? The film opened below my projections of $160 million and even came in below most of the box office. The film also earned a “B+” CinemaScore from first-day audiences. Marvel movies usually get higher ratings, and you can tell that fan reaction to Thor: Love and Thunder is a bit polarizing. Some think it went too far on the jokes and almost became a parody of itself, while others think it’s the best Thor movie to date. Reactions are decidedly mixed, and it’s a trend Marvel is starting to see more of lately. Last year, Eternals earned a ‘B’ CinemaScore after receiving the worst critical notices for the MCU. In May, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness also earned a “B+” CinemaScore, but to its credit, the box office was still impressive, with its current domestic total now sitting at $411 million. The real test will be how it performs next weekend and luckily it has the advantage of being the last real release of the summer which could help its legs in the end. Worldwide, the film’s opening exceeded initial expectations with a $302 million worldwide debut after taking in $143 million from overseas markets. In second place is Minions: The Rise of Gru with $45.5 million. That’s a 57% drop that was expected after the bloated July 4th holiday weekend. Universal/Illumination isn’t complaining about the results here so far. The film continues the massive success of the franchise, which is said to have crossed $4 billion worldwide through the weekend across all films. We will definitely be seeing more of these little guys in the future. To date, Minions: The Rise of Gru has grossed $210 million domestically and $399.8 million worldwide. Top Gun: Maverick continues to climb to third place with $15.5 million. That’s a 40% drop as the film continues to hold steady thanks to frequent repeat viewings by fans. Everything about its performance at the box office has been spectacular, and there’s really no more words to say about how it has truly redefined the summer blockbuster since its release over Memorial Day weekend. Top Gun: Maverick has now grossed $597.4 million domestically and $1.03 billion worldwide. Elvis continues to thrive with the largest demographic in fourth place with a gross of $11 million. Also, with a relatively meager 40% from last weekend, Elvis is the best example of older moviegoers returning to theaters post-pandemic. All the exit polls show that Elvis’ core audience has dwindled and that’s really good news for the box office overall. The $85 million production has now grossed $91.1 million at the domestic box office, and the $100 million mark will soon be in its sights. Rounding out the top five is Jurassic World: Dominion with $8.4 million. That’s a 49% drop, as its recent performance has seen it fall just below what Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom did in the same time frame. That’s not to say the film’s journey at the box office was a disappointment. Despite poor reviews, Jurassic World: Dominion has grossed $350.3 million domestically and $876.4 million worldwide. It’s a hit and that’s regardless of what the critics had to say about it. What are YOUR thoughts on this weekend’s box office results?
