Marvel’s “Thor: Love and Thunder” scored big at the box office during its opening weekend, earning $143 million in North America, the franchise best for the Thor film series. The film, directed by Taika Waititi, opened on 4,375 screens this weekend and beat out “Minions: The Rise of Gru” for the top spot. With international screenings included, the Thor movie has seen its worldwide total already surpass $300 million. “Love and Thunder” had opened in 47 territories as of the middle of last week. The Thor franchise has increased its opening weekend performance with each subsequent film. The original “Thor” opened to $65.7 million in 2011, “The Dark World” grossed $85.7 million in 2013 and 2017’s “Ragnarok” brought in $122.7 million. This image released by Marvel Studios shows Natalie Portman, left, and Chris Hemsworth in a scene from “Thor: Love and Thunder.” (Jasin Boland/Marvel Studios-Disney via AP / AP Newsroom) “Love and Thunder” brought Chris Hemsworth, Tessa Thompson and Natalie Portman back to the big screen, with Portman’s character Jane Foster becoming Thor. Russell Crowe plays Zeus and Christian Bale plays the villain Gor, the butcher god. JOHNNY DEPP DONATES TO CHILDREN’S HOSPITALS THROUGH NFTS The film production budget was reported to be $250 million, the largest of the Thor series. Tessa Thompson, from left, director Taika Waititi and Natalie Portman pose for photographers as they arrive at the screening of ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’ in London on Tuesday, July 5, 2022. (AP Photo/Scott Garfitt) (AP Newsroom) But despite an impressive opening weekend, “Thor: Love and Thunder” wasn’t Marvel’s biggest opening of the year. “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” debuted to $185 million in early May. Both films fell short of the December release of “Spider-Man: No Way Home,” which grossed $260.1 million. ‘DOCTOR STRANGE 2’ BRINGS HIGHEST OPENING DAY TICKET SALES OF 2022 New Zealand director Taika Waititi poses for a photo during a red carpet event for the premiere of the movie “Thor: Love and Thunder” at the Entertainment Quarter in Sydney, Australia, Monday, June 27, 2022. (AP Photo/Mark Baker) ( AP Newsroom) Minions , in its second weekend in theaters, earned second place with $45.6 million, bringing its domestic total to $210.1 million and its worldwide cume to $399.9 million. “Top Gun: Maverick” came in third in its seventh weekend with $15.5 million. The film’s domestic total now stands at $597.4 million and is expected to soon cross $600 million, which would make it one of only 12 films to reach that mark. PAUL MCCARTNEY’S BOX SET OF NAMESAKE ALBUMS WILL BE RELEASED THIS SUMMER Chris Hemsworth poses on the red carpet at the premiere of Marvel Studios’ “Thor: Love and Thunder” at the El Capitan Theater in Los Angeles, California, U.S., June 23, 2022. (REUTERS/David Swanson/File Photo) (Reuters Photos ) Summer 2022 tickets continue to outperform last year, with summer totals up 217% from summer 2021. GET THE FOX BUSINESS ON THE GO BY CLICKING HERE The year’s total topped $4 billion last week, a 233% jump from last year. However, this number still lags behind 2019, the last year at the box office before the onset of COVID-19, by 30%. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
