Thor 2 is off to a very strong start at the box office this weekend.
Although the flick is getting mixed reviews from critics at the moment, that didn’t seem to matter very much to the fans who turned out on Thursday to catch early and midnight screenings. Director Alan Taylor’s follow-up to the 2011 adventure earned a very impressive $7.1 million from curious moviegoers.
According to The Hollywood Reporter , Thor 2 screenings started across the country at 8 pm last night. Analysts believe the movie could scrounge up around $90 million by the time the weekend comes to a close. By comparison, Thor made roughly $65.7 million during its first three days of release.
However, the folks at Forbes seem to think that Thor 2 will generate between $75 million and $85 million when all is said and done. Either way, Disney and Marvel Studios stand to make a considerable amount of cash from the superhero’s latest cinematic outing.
Even if the movie doesn’t perform as well as its predecessor in the United States, the flick has already generated a healthy $150 million in foreign markets. The film reportedly began hitting theaters overseas last week. The sequel is well on its way to recouping its estimated $200 million budget.
If watching buff and bearded comic book characters swinging magic hammers isn’t your thing, then you have a couple of other options to consider this weekend. Both About Time and 12 Years a Slave open in additional theaters today (November 8). However, it’s believed that neither film poses a direct threat to Thor 2 .
Even if Alan Taylor’s flick does a remarkable amount of business during its first few days of release, the movie faces extremely stiff competition in the coming weeks. Filmmaker Frances Lawrence’s The Hunger Games: Catching Fire hits theaters on November 22, a film which should give everything on the big screen a run for the money.
The Inquisitr previously reported that the follow-up to the box office hit stands to make roughly $185 million when it debuts in theaters across North America. Analysts believe it could destroy the November record held by The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2 .
For now, all eyes are on Thor: The Dark World . If you haven’t seen any of the trailers for the flick, then you need to take a good look at the clip below. It should definitely let you know if this is something you want to spend your hard-earned money on this weekend.
Are you planning to catch Alan Taylor’s Thor 2 in theaters this weekend? How much money do you think Marvel’s sequel will make over the next three days?
[Image via Marvel Studios / Walt Disney Pictures]