Thor: Love & Thunder Hits Box Office Milestone Despite Mixed Reviews

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Thor: Love & Thunder hits a new milestone at the global box office, coming after its third weekend in theaters. The Taika Waititi-directed superhero film from Disney and Marvel was officially released on July 8 and features Chris Hemsworth, Tessa Thompson, and Natalie Portman reprising their roles as Thor, Valkyrie, and Jane Foster, respectively. Coming on the heels of 2017’s Thor: Ragnarok,which received high praise from critics and audiences alike and performed well at the box office, the expectations were set high for Thor: Love and Thunder. It doesn't help that the first and second Thor films are some of the less popular MCU movies, with complaints that they didn't find a way to balance their more serious tone with some levity. Those criticisms were reflected in the box office, with Thor and Thor: The Dark World bested by several other MCU films over the years.

Thor: Ragnarok marked a new era for the character, with Waititi’s MCU directorial debut successfully balancing humor and gravity. Though Ragnarok may have felt like a purely comedic romp, the serious moments such as Odin’s death and the destruction of Asgard managed to carry serious emotional weight. Five years later with the release of Love & Thunder, Thor’s comedic rebrand is alive and well. Though early responses chiefly praised the film’s tone, the conversation about Thor: Love and Thunder shifted over time. Still, it boasted the #30 opening weekend of all time with $302 million globally and the highest ever opening for a Thor movie. However, the film took a dive in its second weekend, dropping in sales by a steep 68%. 

Related: Korg's Narration Actually Saves Thor: Love & Thunder

Thor: Love & Thunder seems to have earned back momentum in its third