Thor: Love and Thunder blasted into theaters last Thursday (Thorsday?) and has since hammered its way to a mighty $143 million at the North American box office.
While this is slightly below the initial $150 million estimates, it's an incredible result and one that's well ahead of 2017's Thor: Ragnarok ($123 million). The latest Marvel Studios movie has also nabbed the third-highest opening of any 2022 release, sitting behind only Jurassic World Dominion ($145 million) and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness ($185 million).
Overseas, Thor: Love and Thunder did exceed expectations with $159 million. This takes the sequel's current global total to an impressive $302 million.
However, an interesting note in Variety's report is that the blockbuster cost $250 million to produce and roughly $100 million to promote, making it one of Marvel Studios' most expensive movies - a surprise when it clocks in at a scant 119 minutes.
We have heard that a lot of content ended up on the cutting room floor, including cameos from Jeff Goldblum as The Grandmaster and Peter Dinklage as Eitri the Dwarf. Game of Thrones star Lena Heady was also cut from Thor: Love and Thunder, though there's no word on who she played. With all that in mind, it's possible the budget just got out of control during production.
Regardless, the movie will more than likely still turn a profit, which drives home the God of Thunder's popularity. The big test will be over the coming weeks, especially with mixed reviews.
"Too silly to take seriously, there’s still a lot to love about Thor: Love and Thunder, but unlike Thor: Ragnarok, it’s unlikely to be a movie you’ll fall in love with," we said in our review earlier this week. "Marvel Studios may be developing a quantity over quality issue."
Marvel Studios will be on hand at this year's San Diego Comic-Con with a Hall H panel, while D23 takes place this September. We're anticipating a lot of big announcements, but whether a new Thor movie will be among them remains to be seen (especially with filmmaker Taika Waititi likely heading to a Galaxy Far, Far Away in the not too distant future).
Thor: Love and Thunder is now playing in theaters!