Despite some early thoughts to the contrary, "Thor: The Dark World" dropped the hammer on its weekend competition and box-office record books.
The latest Marvel film grossed $86.1 million during its opening weekend according to estimates released by Disney. That sum represents an increase of more than $20 million from 2011's "Thor" debut frame, which occurred in May of that year. The opening tally also puts "Thor: The Dark World" among the biggest November openings ever: Only three "Twilight" films, four "Harry Potter" films and last year's "Skyfall" had ticket sales of more than $80 million over debut weekends during the month.
"Thor: The Dark World" also places among the upper-half of Marvel comics releases, earning more over its first weekend than "The Wolverine," "The Amazing Spider-Man" and "X-Men: First Class," among others. (It should be noted that Sony's "The Amazing Spider-Man" opened on July 3, and had earned a total of $137 million by the time its first full weekend was complete.) The sequel lags way behind Marvel's "Iron Man" franchise, as well as "Marvel's The Avengers," but unlike those features, this one doesn't star Robert Downey Jr. (Chris Hemsworth plays the God of Thunder.)
"Jumping to comparisons with 'Iron Man' or 'The Avengers' is not terribly appropriate," Disney executive vice president of distribution Dave Hollis told The Los Angeles Times. "Any time you can wake up to a $80-million-plus opening, you're appreciative."
That appreciation lends to the global marketplace as well. "Thor: The Dark World" grossed $94.1 million from international territories this weekend, putting its overseas cume at $240.9 million. The "Thor" sequel has already earned $327 million around the globe, and could gross around $600 million or more by the time it leaves theaters.
This post has been updated to reflect official "Thor: The Dark World" box office numbers.
