THOR: Grading, Discussion, Review **SPOILERS***

Thor had an expected weekend in it's third time out. It's still yet to have a 60%+ drop in a weekend to weekend comparison.

It's worldwide total is going to be hitting around $395m, give or take, after actuals come out on Monday. As I said it's going well north of $400m. It's week 3 for crying out loud. It's got another 25-30m in it domestically and it hasn't opened in Japan yet which likes superhero films. It'll do 15-25m there.

Thor is looking to land more in the $440-460m WW range.
Profit just at the box office. It's not that complicated on this one.

 

It really is.

We'll see where it lands.

 

I think many are trying to compare it The Incredible Hulk of a few years ago:

Domestic: $134,806,913 51.2%
Foreign: $128,620,638 48.8%
Worldwide: $263,427,551

Incredible Hulk had a comparable budget to Thor ($150 million), and it did not get a sequel based on it's box office. However, Hulk lacked the foreign box office of Thor; and Thor will have surpassed that domestic take by Monday. Is it enough to warrant a Thor sequel? Hard to say, but it's got a better shot than Incredible Hulk had.

 

Both X-Men and Batman Begins were deemed to have performed underwhelmingly at the box-office. Yet strong word-of-mouth and acclaim led to a strong performance and dedicated following on DVD, which resulted in much better box office for their respective sequels. Thor also has the advantage of The Avengers to showcase the character.

 

ya know, for fans of Thor, there's an avatar contest goin' on, its pinned to the top of the forum....ya might want to head over, and cast a vote...

 

I saw it, it was a good movie.

 

Interestingly, it appears that the post-credits scene was directed not by Branagh but by Joss Whedon. Something of a first, no?

http://www.empireonline.com/news/story.asp?NID=31051

 

The Incredible Hulk isn't a comparison to make, it's no longer apples/apples.

Thor has passed the domestic total in 17 days and it's not done, by a long shot.
Thor has long ago passed the foreign total.
Hence, Thor has way, way, way passed the Worldwide Total.

Thor: (to date)
Domestic: $145.4m
Foreign: $247m
Worldwide: $392.4m

If this was Thor's conclusion, which it's not, one could at least say the domestic numbers were close enough. But it's not. Those Incredible Hulk numbers were for a total of 84 days in release. 84 DAYS.
Thor, is going to go at least as long in release as TIH but as a matter of comparison Iron Man got a 154 day release due to it's hit status. I'd argue Thor will likely have in the range of 100 days +/- in release due to it's status as a hit as well.

Now, surely after reading that one could without a doubt look back at how silly it is at day 17 to talk as if a THOR sequel is "iffy".

 

I thought it was interesting that Joss directed the final scene but makes sense. Perhaps he'll direct the final scene in "Captain America: First Avenger"? This reminds me of Steven Moffat taking over the final scene in "The End of Time Part II" for DW.

 

Well, the post-credits scene for IM2 was actually in Thor, wasn't it? (Coulson: "We found it.") Meaning it was directed by Branagh, so that's actually pretty similar.

I think a Thor sequel is pretty much assured at this point. International numbers tend to balloon for sequels, and Thor's international take is already very good. Domestic numbers are respectable, if not great. Thor and Loki will be getting an additional profile-boost from Avengers, as well.

 

That's a good point about sequels. You think that a lot of foreign markets are less familiar than Americans with these properties when they're introduced in a first film, and that a "brand consciousness" is created for the next one?

 

According to this article "Thor 2" story ideas are already being suggested and worked on.

http://www.movieline.com/2011/05/ch...engers-ego-clashing-and-thor-sequel-plans.php

 

They were discussing all that before the movie opened, as the date on the linked article demonstrates.

 

Indeed. I'm just reminding people that "Thor 2" has already been discussed. I'm sure it was mentioned in the thread earlier.

 

I think that makes sense. Certain types of properties also just seem to do well abroad, notably the fantasy genre, which probably explains why Thor's numbers are good despite not being an established property.

While I'm sure that plans for a sequel have been in discussions since well before the movie's release, they must have been contingent on the movie's box office. However, with the numbers Thor is putting up, it strikes me that it would be foolish for the studio not to green light the sequel, so it will probably go forward (since the studio is not foolish).

Big international numbers, two weeks on top of the domestic box office, Hemsworth is likely on his way to stardom and should be a bigger draw the second time around. A boost from Avengers (unless something goes horribly wrong with that film). A number of factors make a sequel seem like a safe bet.

 

The less important characters talking are to the narrative momentum, the better. This is why even Abrams's more kinetic version of Star Trek is box office-challenged overseas.

 

Is it too early for a 'Thor 2: Anticipation thread'?

 

^ LOL.

 

When Kevin Friege announces the rest of the Marvel Slate sometime this fall I fully expect a Thor 2 to be mentioned. Still, that might be too early for a Thor 2 thread. Probably some time after Avengers and/or when it's greenlit and going into pre-production. That's basically been my starting point for a thread, cause till then it's usually just base internet speculation with nothing but rumors. And we know how pages of boring rumor can sidebar into zaniness(Superman:Man of Steel thread anyone?).

 

^ Yeah, me and the good Admiral have been ribbing each other about the timing of some of these threads. FWIW, I think you usually get the timing right.