'Thor: Ragnarok' hits Star Cineplex Friday

Much to the delight of the action film lovers and Marvel fans of Bangladesh, Bashundhara City’s Star Cineplex is all set to release “Thor: Ragnarok” on Friday. One of the most anticipated sequels of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), the movie will also open in North America and China at the same time. But it has already begun its worldwide expansion in earnest. The American superhero film, produced by Marvel Studios and based on the Marvel Comics, began its overseas rollout on Tuesday in the UK and amassed $28 million heading into the weekend, reports Forbes. It opened over the next few days in what is now 52% of the overall international marketplace. And thus far, the $180 million threequel has amassed a rock-solid $107.6m its first six days of business, including $6m in IMAX alone, Forbes said in its report. However, Variety said the number was an impressive $109 million. With “Ragnarok” and STXfilms’ “A Bad Moms Christmas” hitting the theatres this week and DC’s “Justice League” on November 17, this November is now looking pretty bright for the box office. Tracking of the third Thor movie has remained impressive since numbers came out last week with the latest forecasts in the $100 million to $118 million range for its launch weekend at 4,080 locations for the Friday-Sunday period, reports Variety. “Ragnarok” is the 17th title in the MCU and so far the best-reviewed among those. It currently carries a 96% “fresh” rating on Rotten Tomatoes, the seventh Marvel title to hit 90%. Directed by Taika Waititi from a screenplay by Eric Pearson and writing team of Craig Kyle and Christopher Yost, the film’s cast includes Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston, Cate Blanchett, Idris Elba, Jeff Goldblum, Tessa Thompson, Karl Urban, Mark Ruffalo, and Anthony Hopkins. Joining the fun with Hemsworth’s Thor and Hiddleston’s Loki in the film is Mark Ruffalo’s Hulk, Cate Blanchett as the main baddie Hela (MCU’s first female villain) and Jeff Goldblum as The Grandmaster, a secondary antagonist. Also, Tessa Thompson is there too as the film’s appointed ass-kicker, Valkyrie, and just as funny as the rest of the gang. Add Benedict Cumberbatch’s cameo as Doctor Strange and two post-credit scenes while throwing in dazzling visuals, and you have something that should play at least as well as “Doctor Strange” or maybe better. Star Cineplex management said they are hopeful that Dhaka’s audience will love the new Thor flick in their big screens.