An ensemble comedy had an impressive opening at North American theaters this weekend. But when all the receipts had been counted and estimated, Thor still proved to be the best man.
Thor: The Dark World, earned an estimated $38.5 million to claim its second straight box office crown, trumping the upstart The Best Man Holiday, which walked down the aisle with $30.6 million. And while Thor lost about 55% of its audience, the Marvel demigod has still earned nearly $147 million domestically in two weekends of work—not counting the Asgardian ransom he’s banked overseas.
But this weekend may mark the end of Thor’s mighty box office prowess. This weekend, he faces a mighty foe indeed: Katniss Everdeen in The Hunger Games: Catching Fire.
While The Best Man Holiday couldn’t muster enough thunder to overturn Thor, the suits at Universal still had to be thrilled with the movie’s performance. Technically a sequel to 1999’s The Best Man, Holiday earned three times what its predecessor did and enjoyed one of the biggest debuts ever for a film with a predominantly African-American cast.
Another comedy, the over-50-themed Last Vegas, had a senior moment of sorts—forgetting that, typically, movies fall the longer they’re out. Last Vegas actually rose a spot in the box office standings, to third, cashing in another $8.9 million. It changed places with the animated turkey flick Free Birds, which clumsily flapped to fourth with $8.3 million. Jacka‑‑ Presents: Bad Grandpa rounded out the Top Five with another $7.7-million payday.
Final figures update: 1. Thor: The Dark World, $36.6 million; 2. The Best Man Holiday, $30.1 million; 3. Last Vegas, $8.4 million; 4. Free Birds, $8.1 million; 5. Jacka– Presents: Bad Grandpa, $7.4 million.
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