Marvel Studios and Disney’s 3D tentpole Thor: The Dark World continues to gather strength as it prepares to open Thursday night at the domestic box office, where it now has a shot at eclipsing the $88.4m opening of James Bond film Skyfall on the same weekend a year ago.
Based on initial prerelease tracking, box-office observers were expecting Thor 2 - returning Chris Hemsworth in the title role - to gross a healthy $75m in its domestic launch, easily exceeding the $65.7m opening of the original Thor in May 2011.
But with the film’s mammoth showing overseas - it’s earned $133.4m in less than a week - and the rising interest in North America, tracking now suggests Thor 2 will open notably higher. Thor 2’s performance also will be boosted by a last-minute decision to carry the film in roughly 305 Imax locations in the US and Canada (it wills share space with Ender’s Game).
The movie will be playing in 3,841 North American theaters as of 8pm Thursday, including more than 3,100 3D venues. Overseas, the movie should continue to rack up substantial grosses this weekend, including in China, where it opens Friday. Don’t be surprised if Thor 2’s global gross is well north of $300m by Sunday. As a way of comparison, the first Thor took in a total of $449.3m globally.
