Don’t argue with the man with the hammer. Particularly when the hammer flies.
Thor: The Dark World pounded its way to an estimated $86.1 million, with Thor chortling heartily at the puny human movies attempting to block his way from the top of the box office. It wasn’t much of a contest, really. The next closest competitor was Jacka‑‑ Presents: Bad Grandpa, with $11.3 million—almost an eighth of what the big Asgardian made. Thor was so dominant, tales of his weekend cinematic route will surely be sung throughout the nine realms. And yet, there were those who wondered why the movie didn’t make more.
After watching Thor fly to big bucks oversees last week (outside North America, The Dark World has already made $240.9 million), some wondered whether the big guy might crest $100 million in its opening weekend stateside and enter the rarified superhero air shared by the likes of Batman, Superman and Iron Man. It fell a bit short of that mark, but you won’t hear anyone at Disney or Marvel crying too much.
As mentioned, Bad Grandpa finished second (according to initial estimates), topping a logjam in the middle of the Top Five where three movies were separated by a mere $200,000. Free Birds, a Thanksgiving-themed lark of a flick, stuffed its gizzard with another $11.2 million for third place, while Last Vegas banked $11.1 million for fourth. All three holdovers showed surprisingly durable staying power: Free Birds, for instance, lost just 29% of its audience week-over-week, suggesting this collection of leftovers still has some wings.
Alas, the same could not be said of Ender’s Game, which lost nearly two-thirds of its audience to make $10.3 million—dropping from first to fifth. For Ender’s Game, this could be the end of the road.
Final figures update: 1. Thor: The Dark World, $85.7 million; 2. Jacka– Presents: Bad Grandpa, $11.3 million; 3. Free Birds, $11.2 million; 4. Last Vegas, $11 million; 5. Ender’s Game, $10.3 million.
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