Box Office: Thor: Ragnarok Rumbling to $115 Million Opening Weekend
Disney-Marvels Thor: Ragnarok is heading for a massive North American opening weekend in the $115 million range at 4,080 locations, early estimates showed Friday.
Fridays total will be around $45 million, including $14.5 million from Thursday night previews. Its the fourth-highest preview of 2017 after Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 at $17 million, Beauty and the Beast at $16.3 million, and Spider-Man: Homecoming at $15.4 million.
Thor: Ragnarok generated excellent response on comScore/Screen Engines PostTrak audience survey, with 28% of moviegoers vowing to see it again in theaters and 84% saying they would definitely recommend it to their friends.
If the estimate holds, the third Thor movie will wind up at the top end of estimates, with the latest forecasts in the $100 million to $118 million range. The rollout includes 3,400 3D screens, 391 Imax screens, 616 premium large format screens, and 204 D-Box locations.
Thor: Ragnarok is the 17th and best-reviewed movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It carries a 94% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes, the seventh Marvel movie to hit 90%.
Playback: Taika Waititi on 'Thor: Ragnarok' and Michael Jackson Oddity 'Bubbles'
Thor: Ragnarok is directed by Taika Waititi from a screenplay by Eric Pearson and the writing team of Craig Kyle and Christopher Yost. It stars Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston, Cate Blanchett, Idris Elba, Jeff Goldblum, Tessa Thompson, Karl Urban, Mark Ruffalo, and Anthony Hopkins. The character of Thor, based on Norse mythology, was created in 1962 by Stan Lee, Larry Lieber, and Jack Kirby for Marvel Comics.
Disney-Marvels Thor: Ragnarok has now taken in $162 million overseas, including $109 million in its international launch last week in 52% of foreign markets. It expands to most other overseas territories this weekend.