Thor: Love and Thunder is certailny a surprisingly divisive film, as Taika Waititi brought his own humor to the latest Marvel Cinematic Universe entry. As the internet is ripping itself apart over its quality and the implications of recent hints regarding the VFX industry, the director sat down with Insider to discuss his future with the franchise. In it, he highlighted that Chris Hemsworth is returning as Thor while also hinting that he’s certainly open to returning for a fifth Thor film.
Waititi does confirm that he wasn’t aware of Hemsworth returning for future entries and it seems that the “Thor Will Return” tag was something added at a later point. It’s always unclear just how much insight the directors have on sequel plans.
Well, guess what? That was a surprise to me, too. I’m not joking. I saw it in the theater and I was like, “Oh, shit. Really?” Even Chris was like, “What?” But, of course he’ll be back. He’s the best character. I mean, I may be a little biased, but he’s the most fun to watch
Taika Waititi
The big question however is if we’ll not only see a fifth Thor entry but also if Waititi is open to returning. There’s been quite the backlash as of late in regards to the MCU entry not performing as some “expect” from the franchise, and the film has faced some harsh criticism. The big aspect of him returning however is only if Chris Hemsworth is also down to make another film.
Now, I don’t know what would be next. I would definitely do one, but only if Chris did it. But it would need to be something surprising and unexpected for me to want to do it. Like what would be the new take? The battles and all the fighting is fine, but I would want something that feels unexpected when it comes to the story. Like making just a $5 million movie with no fighting at all, just Thor on a road trip. Like “Nebraska.”
Taika Waititi
Given Thor has dabbled in space and on Earth, there are quite a few stories they could tackle. While personally exploring the darker storylines within the Norse mythology would be a preferred direction, there are quite a few stories still worth pulling from to explore just what exactly the future has in store for the franchise.
At the end of the day, while featuring a few outstanding elements well worthy of praise, Thor: Love and Thunder doesn’t quite deliver. Going beyond all the talk about wonky CGI and overuse of StageCraft technology (that honestly isn’t an issue at all), the main problems seem to have to do with both the plot and script, in terms of pacing and tone-specific verisimilitude. While understanding that this is a movie about space gods, space goats, and space dolphins you still want it to be engrossing and to make sense, even if only within its own specific set of rules. Also, the fact that the movie shied away from truly exploring what should have been at its core (Gorr and Godhood) in a more in-depth way comes off as a disservice to the comic story arc it loosely adapted.
There seems to be a lot of praise when referring to Thor: Love and Thunder as being very comic-booky mostly in the sense that it doesn’t take itself that seriously. That, in and of itself is not a bad thing, but it certainly doesn’t feel like the right approach when addressing the God Butcher storyline. Much like we got to see a different side of Thor following Ragnarok in Avengers: Infinity War (due to the more somber nature of the storyline) by choosing to make Gorr a central piece of Love and Thunder I’m not entirely convinced that the tone made sense. Jason Aaron‘s original Thor run eventually evolves into a more light-hearted tone (in my opinion the shift from Esad Ribic‘s art to Russell Dauterman‘s sort of exemplifies that) but a feature film adaptation of its beginning, the first arcs featuring Gorr, certainly deserved a more ominous approach in order to sell what made it one of the truly remarkable Thor storylines.
Not only does the tone feel a bit off but by doubling down on gags that already worked and had their time in Thor: Ragnarok comes off as lazy and downright dull at times, with the new Asgardian Theater scene being a prime example of that. Some other running jokes felt flat (looking at you sulking Stormbreaker) and remarkably little of that traditional Waititi sense of humor, clever wording, and comic timing felt fresh. While Ragnarok was mostly set on Asgard and Sakaar making Waititi‘s bonkers take have an otherworldly setting that meshed well together, the Love and Thunder action taking place in a more earthly New Asgard felt a bit cosplay-y, maybe explaining why the Omnipotent City sequence (a location that deserved a bigger spotlight and further exploration) worked a bit better with the established tone of the movie.
The fast pace that allows us to get straight into the action is, again, something that while not being a bad thing should really be used according to the specific situation. In other projects that seemed like the right approach. Again going back to Infinity War, everything started moving hastily since the main players’ motivations had been set up in previous features and there wasn’t really a need for a large amount of setup. But in Thor: Love and Thunder, regarding Gorr but especially regarding Jane Foster’s transformation into the Mighty Thor, everything felt rushed in a way that took some of the emotional punch out of the journey both characters went on. Jane Foster deserved to have her initial Mighty Thor transformation on screen, even if the comics themselves do not show it. But while the comics thrived on the mystery behind the character, as who was holding the hammer wasn’t revealed until later, Thor: Love and Thunder made that pretty clear from the moment the movie was announced, making a similar delayed reveal pointless and honestly a bit anti-climatic.
But not all was lost to the “bigger and louder and more bombastic” version or Ragnarok Waititi sold us on, as there are some hilarious gems spread out through the script (“Maybe your arm is in Valhalla!”) as well as being introduced to, in my opinion, the most obnoxious but also the more hilarious running joke on any Marvel Studios movie: Toothgnasher and Toothgrinder.
All in all, it’s hard not to wish that such compelling story arcs featuring Gorr and The Mighty Thor could have been given a bit more room to truly live up to their potential. What could have been an amazing Thor sequel, given the cast and characters, and especially following the tremendous success of the previous installment that reinvigorated the franchise, instead takes us back to pre-Ragnarok levels of interest in what the future might have in store for the character. Thor: Love and Thunder while aiming at being a Thor: Ragnarok 2.0 but doesn’t manage to go beyond a meager 0.5.
Or perhaps a 0.6. Because of the goats.
Mary Maerz
I liked it a lot more the second time I watched it. I’m a big fan of Taika Waititi’s vibe and the movie’s general goofy tone. Not every joke landed for me, but I will survive. I also love everything colorful and visually interesting so it was a good time for that. I’m not the VFX police, and I don’t think a movie that has Bao the god of dumplings in it needs those people in its life, but the tone of Love and Thunder is bold and wacky, so it really doesn’t need to look like an Avatar sequel. It was fun, and it had unexpected heart in the ending. It was the first MCU film I haven’t spoiled for myself in many years, and I am glad I didn’t.
That being said, and please don’t murder me, I think it was…too short. Gorr was a letdown for me on the first viewing. Once I accepted that into my heart, I could enjoy the second round more. But he felt underdeveloped, both in terms of character and actual villainy. The guy didn’t butcher gods. But his underlying motivation, conviction, and the critical thinking that comes along with it could have used some extra time. He felt like a hypothetical threat the whole movie rather than a real one. Bale is great though; without his performance, Gorr would have been one of the most forgettable villains in the MCU for me. I also wish Jane’s story got some more time. Her journey was abrupt and abbreviated. It makes sense in terms of her role in the Thor franchise, but the story itself deserved its own solo project so it felt disproportionate.
Charles Murphy
In 2017, Taika Waititi made a Marvel Studios movie. Thor: Ragnarok breathed new life into the character by undoing everything that had been done with him before. In 2022, Marvel Studios made a Taika Waititi movie. Thor: Love and Thunder, for better or for worse, was Waititi fully unleashed. And, unfortunately, it seems that Waititi took all the wrong lessons from the success of Ragnarok and spent too much time in Love and Thunder giving fans more of the same from Ragnarok while not spending enough time on the things that could have made this movie truly great. Love and Thunder isn’t a bad movie, but unlike its immediate predecessor in the Thor franchise, it’s far too forgettable and a bit disappointing.
The uneven nature of the film is summed up pretty well by what the audience gets (and doesn’t get) in the first 25 minutes or so of the film. The cold open introduces the film’s villain, Gorr, before he becomes the God Butcher, played wonderfully by Christian Bale. A tragic scene unfolds as Gorr’s daughter dies in his arms as Gorr’s god ignores his pleas. Summoned by the Necrosword, Gorr stumbles into an Eden-esque garden where the shiny gold god killed the dull black god that used to have the Necrosword, and then Gorr kills the shiny god with the evil weapon. Fairly quickly after that, one of the most balls-to-the-wall, insane action pieces in the history of Marvel Studios unfolds as Thor dispatches the evil bird people while also laying waste to the nice blue peoples’ planet.
As amazing as Thor’s action scene is, I have to wonder why we weren’t treated to an equally amazing action scene in the cold open. Rather than have Gorr stumble into the aftermath of the battle between the gods, why didn’t we see it? And that question, “why didn’t we see it?”, is the core of the film’s issues. Allegedly based on Jason Aaron’s legendary run, this film did little to honor it. Instead of seeing Gorr butcher gods in the opening act, his acts are relegated to stills that pop up on a low-quality monitor. In fact, the audience is told about Gorr more than they get to see him be terrifying. Instead of seeing Jane Foster’s first transformation in New Asgard (a scene we KNOW they shot, by the way), we have to listen to Jane tell Thor about it. And the frustration only mounts because I can’t reasonably understand why the time wasn’t taken to allow the audience to see things that would have enriched the story. Was it so we could get the shitty breakup flashbacks?
Magically, however, the mess coalesces into one of Marvel Studios’ ballsiest and best third acts. While the whole magic wish to kill gods isn’t really in line with the Gorr from the comics (he would never have cheated himself out of the pleasure of torturing and killing the gods personally), there are clear and high stakes as the final act begins. The final battle with Thor and Mighty Thor vs. Gorr is going to hold up well over time and the crazy idea to empower the kids worked better than it had any right to. And most importantly, Eternity looked GREAT. Thor has now lost pretty much everything he ever held dear to him and looks set to head in a totally different direction with Love at his side. And coming from the guy who hates post-credit scenes, the first one is an example of how they can still be done right.
Ultimately, Thor: Love and Thunder will go down as a missed opportunity. Not a bad movie, but a cautionary tale for Marvel Studios. It’s hard to judge a movie on what it could or should have been, but this one had all the opportunity in the world to be great and ended up good.
Anthony Canton III
Thor: Love And Thunder is a movie if I were looking for a sports comparison I’d say it were Shaquille O’Neal. A dominant player; one of the best we’ve ever seen. A unique force that changed the game. Yet, we always wished he gave a little bit more. Let’s break it down. Portions of Jason Aaron’s God Of Thunder and The Mighty Thor were adapted to this movie. Was that done well? I’d say it wasn’t really done at all.
When we hear about Gorr The God Butcher, we think of him torturing gods before he kills them. He kills one god. Not enough butchering. Christian Bale is excellent in the role with not enough screen time. Natalie Portman came back inspired as Jane here with a better energy. The action worked in ways that the story did not. I thoroughly enjoyed Russell Crowe’s comedic performance as Zeus. We did not get enough of Valkyrie. Hemsworth was solid. But again I needed more.
Is this a Taika fatigue issue? Perhaps. Ragnarok is one of the greatest MCU films of all time. This one? Solid, but there wasn’t enough meat on the bone to really get to the levels it needed to. Thor: Love and Thunder, meet Shaquille O’Neal. 7 out of 10. Extra half point for the goats.
Mister Anderson
I loved the latest chapter of Thor for several reasons. The character development was great for several of the characters, but I’m most impressed with the newfound depth they gave Thor. His evolution from aloof and aimless to a purpose-driven empathetic hero made this story completely worthwhile. Jane’s turn as The Mighty Thor also brought a lot of emotion and strength to the narrative as well, making Thor challenge a lot of his past decisions and helping him learn, like Xavier teaches Doctor Strange, “Just because someone stumbles and loses their path, doesn’t mean they’re lost forever.” We’re reminded through the movie of Thor’s previous stumbles, but this story really seems to set the hero back on a path with purpose and meaning.
Dalbin Osorio
I’ll get this out of the way right out the gate: I liked it a lot. Chris Hemsworth is Thor, and he owns every role. Natalie Portman was dope, and I wish she would’ve taken his place. That takes me to my one gripe with the film: I wish the God Butcher would’ve butchered a few more Gods onscreen. Namely, I wish he would’ve killed Hemsworth’s Thor. This Phase has been about the passing of mantles, so to speak, and having Gorr kill Thor (and Zeus, which would then set Hercules on a path to revenge for who he thinks is responsible), and then having Mighty Thor be the one to convince him to bring his daughter back would’ve made for a much better movie. Instead, we didn’t get much god killing, which kind of lessened Gorr’s appearance and a great performance by Christian Bale. It didn’t rise to Hela levels, but definitely another very good villain by Marvel. The two scenes at the end were both great, though, again, if you killed Thor, then I think the last scene hits different for people (in a good way). I give it a 7/10. Better than Black Widow and Eternals, for sure, but not as good as the cream of the crop in Phase 4 that was No Way Home, Shang-Chi, and Multiverse of Madness.
Torbjorn Frazier
For me, Thor: Love and Thunder has become ever-challenging to form a definitive opinion on. I certainly consider the film to be a net positive and an enjoyable watching experience, but also find a number of the dissenting opinions on Marvel Studios’ latest film to be at least understandable. A prime example of this notion is the comedy style of Taika Waititi: I greatly enjoyed a majority of the absurdist running gags, but understand those that felt it took away from further developing the fast-paced plot. Though my most overt qualm with the film comes from Christian Bale’s Gorr the God Butcher, who only butchers one god for the entire movie in his limited screen time (even one other god killing scene or montage could’ve rectified this).
My issues with Gorr tie into what is my biggest issue with this film: a lack of definition on the severity of stakes our protagonists are dealing with. I for one have zero issue with the idea of smaller scale stories in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (I’m a defender of Ant-Man and The Wasp for this reason), but the more personal mission of saving the Asgardian children could’ve been better served as a separate project away from the high-stakes, esoteric mission of stopping Gorr from reaching Eternity and killing all the gods. Especially with the rapid-fire pacing (which for the record, I’m a fan of), I struggled to connect with the overall story of Love and Thunder more than I did with Waititi’s Thor: Ragnarok.
Though I don’t want to just lay out my grievances without acknowledging the truly strong and interesting elements of this film. My personal MVP of the film is Natalie Portman, who gives a killer performance as the Mighty Thor and a Jane Foster who wants to be in the film she’s in. As well, Love and Thunder certainly leaves the Thor/Asgardian franchise and the Marvel Cinematic Universe at large with some compelling stories and status quo changes in its future. And even with my qualms, I remain appreciative of Marvel Studios being willing to take the larger creative swings in their recent projects as a means to tell different stories than before. I’d much rather view a film taking these types of swings than attempting to “play it safe” and lose a distinct creative vision.
Thor: Love and Thunder is another non-stop rollercoaster from director Taika Waititi, filled to the brim with colorful characters and thrilling moments. Unfortunately, like any good ride, there’s a limit to how many people can get on. Leading up to the film’s release, it felt like a countless number of names and faces were rumored to be making an appearance. Some of those personalities actually did squeak their way into the movie’s 120-minute runtime, like Jamie Alexander‘s long-lost Sif and Brett Goldstein‘s spanking new Hercules, but the film otherwise stuck to focusing on established leads from the previous entries. For the sake of humility, let’s take a look at some of the most heavily rumored characters that didn’t actually end up in Thor’s fourth solo adventure.
Beta Ray Bill
From the beginning, nearly every comic fan hoped Love and Thunder would be the place they finally saw Beta Ray Bill in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The character is the perfect mix of weird and cool for a film written by Waititi, and a visual tease in Thor: Ragnarok meant the director definitely had Bill on the brain. At different points in time, everyone from Barbiestar Ryan Gosling to the film’s actual villain Christian Balewere talked about as potential castings for the heroic Korbinite. Heck, even Beta Ray’s traditional weapon Stormbreaker has become a staple of Thor’s on-screen journey. Yet, the entirety of Love and Thunder comes and goes without so much as a mention of the intergalactic warrior. It might be for the best, considering how much is already going on in the movie, as long as Bill gets a shot at stardom somewhere down the line.
The Grandmaster
This one seemed all but confirmed until the film was actually released. In Thor: Ragnarok, Taika Waititi introduced the world to Jeff Goldblum‘s Grandmaster, an Elder of the Universe who used his less-than-iron fist to rule over the planet Sakaar and use its citizens for entertainment in gladiatorial combat. Though removed from power by the end of that project, the Grandmaster did survive all the way to the film’s end credits. Goldblum was never officially announced as returning to the role, but photos of the actor hanging out with Waititi and a bunch of the confirmed Love and Thunder cast led everyone to believe he’d be back. Alas, there’s no trace of the master manipulator in the fourthquel.
Of note, however, is that Christian Bale did actually confirm in an interview with Screen Rant that he filmed scenes with Goldblum that were cut from the film’s finished product. This might imply Gorr would have killed the Grandmaster in an original cut of the movie, so perhaps him not showing up is better news for Goldblum than fans thought.
Eitri, King of the Dwarves
More or less the same scenario as Goldblum‘s Grandmaster. Months ago, Game of Thrones star Peter Dinklage teased during an interview with Empire Magazine that he would soon be back for another shot at Eitri, the King of the Dwarves, after debuting as the character in Avengers: Infinity War. Not only that, but a short while later IMDb listed Lane Friedman‘s job on the Love and Thunder production team as “Hair Stylist: Peter Dinklage.” It turns out, much like the Grandmaster before him, Eitri was intended to appear in a scene featuring Gorr the God Butcher, as revealed by Christian Bale himself in a recent interview. Whether or not this means Gorr was supposed to kill the downtrodden Dwarf remains a mystery, but it’s worth mentioning Gorr isn’t exactly known for letting deities off the hook. Either way, fans don’t have to worry, because Eitri isn’t in the movie and lives to see another day.
Gamora
It was never a secret that the Guardians of the Galaxy would be showing up in Thor: Love and Thunder. The last time audiences saw Thor, he was flying away with them on their ship, and the team of quirky characters featured prominently in the film’s early marketing. However, never shown among them was Zoe Saldana‘s Gamora, who died during the events of Avengers: Infinity War only to have an alternate version of herself from a different timeline appear and then run away in Avengers: Endgame. There was never a lot of evidence to back up the idea that she’d be with the team in Love and Thunder, but that didn’t stop the internet from speculating wildly that she’d at least cameo on a screen somewhere in the Guardians portion of the film. While she does get an indirect mention from Chris Pratt‘s Star-Lord during a crucial thematic moment, that’s about the extent of her involvement in the story.
Loki
Another rumor that never had much behind it was the cinematic return of Tom Hiddleston as Thor’s maybe-more-popular brother Loki. Ever since the character cheated death, again, to lead the Disney+ series Loki, the God of Mischief’s fans assumed he’d find a way to make his presence known in Thor: Love and Thunder. After all, Hiddleston played a large role in all three previous Thor films, and his baddie-turned-sympathetic anti-hero is central to the hero’s extensive mythology. The conversation about a potential Loki cameo revved back up after the actor stated in an interview with Total Film that he had no idea if he’d be in the movie or not, jokingly commenting that he wasn’t even “doing an Andrew Garfield.” Well, it looks like Hiddleston won’t have to wonder anymore, as Loki is definitely not in the film. His face, and name, make a few quick appearances via archival flashbacks and a comical tattoo, but it doesn’t seem any new footage was ever shot.
Captain Marvel
It would seem fans shouldn’t believe everything they hear. Rumors began to run rampant about a Carol Danvers appearance in Thor: Love and Thunder after online scoopers claimed there’d be a romance between her and Tessa Thompson‘s Valkyrie happening in the near future. There was even talk that Brie Larson had filmed additional scenes as her character during reshoots in Los Angeles. A comment made by Thompson during an interview with The Wrap pushed the rumor even further, with the fan-favorite actress mentioning the queerness of her Asgardian warrior would be further explored in the latest Marvel outing. Obviously, Danvers doesn’t even come close to popping up in Love and Thunder, even if Valkyrie’s bisexuality is addressed briefly. For those disappointed by this turn of events, the new rumor is that Valkyrie could turn up in The Marvels to keep the romantic ship alive. So, maybe there’s still hope?
Throg
At one point, word circulated that Thor:Love and Thunder would embrace the multiverse theme of Phase 4 and feature multiple variants of the titular character and his cohorts. It didn’t take long for the internet to assume this meant another live-action appearance for Throg, the amphibious God of Thunder made popular by memes and an often-talked about cameo in Loki. Interviews with creatives behind the aforementioned Disney+ series revealed that Throg originally had a greater presence in the show, which seemed proof enough for a lot of fans that the character, voiced by Chris Hemsworth, could hop his way onto the big screen. Lamentably, this was not the case, and the only other version of Thor in the movie was Natalie Portman‘s Mighty Thor. Although, that’s really not so bad, considering how great she turned out to be.
Balder the Brave
The forgotten brother of Thor and Loki. Balder the Brave, or Balder the Bro, as I like to call him, has been considered for almost every entry in the Thor franchise, but has yet to actually make the cut. When Christian Bale was initially cast in Love and Thunder, and it was still unknown who the thespian would be portraying, many fans jumped at the idea he would be the one to finally bring Balder to life. It’s been known for a while now that isn’t true, but nobody can be blamed for thinking Marvel might want to bring the Asgardian into the fold. Old concept art from Charlie Wenrevealed Balder came close to making his MCU debut in both 2011’s Thor and 2013’s Thor: The Dark World, and Deadline’s Justin Kroll recently broke the news that Daniel Craig had once been tapped to play the character as a member of the Illuminati in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Sadly, the COVID-19 pandemic prevented that from coming to fruition, and Balder remains on the outskirts of cinematic notoriety.
Lena Headey (as Unknown)
This is the trickiest one of the bunch. Lena Headey, of Game of Thrones fame, spent a considerable amount of time in the rumor mill attached to Thor: Love and Thunder. After word began making the rounds on Twitter that she may be involved with the production, fans started piecing together via social media posts that the actress was staying in Australia at the same time the movie was filming. A rather recent bit of news, involving a lawsuit, finally confirmed that Headey was definitely set to join the MCU in Thor’s newest adventure, but for whatever reason, her part was cut and left out of the final product. It’s not known who the former Dredd star would have brought to life, considering the film leaves so little room for anything that’s not already there, but it’s likely she would have portrayed yet another God. It’s a shame she was removed from the film, but at least this leaves her open for a different role down the line.
The numbers are finally in and it looks like even with what some deem mixed word-of-mouth, the film has already pulled in $300M worldwide. While the film is on the lower end of its predictions, the film pulled in $143M domestically, which is certainly shy of the $150M to $170M projections. In a way, it’s closer to Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2‘s release which is fitting given some of the discussions surrounding the latest entry. Still, the film has pulled in the third highest opening of the year just behind fellow Marvel release Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and Jurassic World: Dominion, which it was only $2M shy of passing it.
As pointed out by Forbes Scott Mendelsohn, July releases aren’t as dominant as the pre-summer blockbuster releases and have showcased better legs. What is helping Marvel’s latest release is the fact that its only four-quadrant competition will be Black Adam in late October. While the smaller jump of 17% from Thor: Ragnarok isn’t their usual power push but the film wasn’t sold in the same way as the franchise changers like Captain America: Civil War and Multiverse of Madness.
Even if it’s on the lower end of projections, closer to the conservative ones from Marvel and Disney, the big question is where does it head from here. A harsh drop in the second weekend has become a norm for the franchise, but if it does end up sticking around 60% like Spider-Man: Homecoming and Ant-Man and the Wasp could get it to $400M. Yet, that B+ CinemaScore is likely going to drag it down a bit as those films bounced back. Yet, the lack of any real competition outside of Bullet Train and still ongoing power players Minions 2 and Top Gun Maverick.
At the moment, it does seem like the film will likely end domestically somewhere beyond $300M domestically. The film is also still showing a strong international release and won’t find its way to China and Russia, where the previous entry made around $135M. So, if the current film passes $715M worldwide it’ll still be a strong showing alongside other releases this year like No Time to Die ($774M) and The Batman ($770M). So the lowest bar to pass would be F9‘s $721M.
Currently, Thor: Love and Thunder is setting the box office ablaze and making its mark among the Marvel Cinematic Universe offerings. While not a critical darling, it does seem that audiences have enjoyed the film for the most part going by its 83% liked rating on Google and 81% Audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. It was once again a Marvel film that pulled in a B+ after Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and Eternals both landed in that category. Many have been pointing to a doom and gloom scenario for the future of the franchise.
In the many discussions online in regards to the quality of the film’s overall effects work, Variety has revealed that the film’s budget has topped the previously assumed $200M and now stands at around $250M. While from a box office perspective, this merely adds weight to the project needing to at least hit $500M, which also doesn’t include the marketing costs. There’s no definite reason given why the production budget for this film ballooned up to this price mark but it should be noted that VFX isn’t the biggest part of the pie.
Given that they’ve done reshoots on the film with some rather expensive cast, it wouldn’t be too surprising that they may have wanted to invest slightly more. It’s only speculation mind you, but it’s interesting if you consider Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is still reported with a $200M budget. There’s also the chance that the use of the Volume has skyrocketed due to the rising interest. It does put the film on the same level as Captain America: Civil War and Avengers.
Yes, people will probably boggle down this to “why the VFX looks bad if that’s the budget” but there’s a lot we don’t know about how this production came together. Marvel films also have the added benefit of profiting off of merchandise sales that aren’t a key factor in its box office dominance. The bigger question remains if the current phase is still the aftermath of films being shot during COVID and that is a leading cause for many qualms people have; especially as it is something that’s affecting many films throughout the industry.
The following article will contain spoilers for Thor: Love and Thunder’s post-credit sequences. If you want to avoid spoilers, only continue at your own risk.
Thor: Love and Thunder may have expanded the Marvel Cinematic Universe in smaller but relevant ways. Not only did we meet other god pantheons, but we even got a glimpse on how they act when it comes to those they were meant to protect. After getting tired of their arrogance, thor seemingly kills Russell Crowe’s Zeus. Yet, the post-credit sequence reveals he survived and also introduced us to the MCU’s Hercules.
The biggest surprise comes in theform of him being played by British actor, famous for his work onTed Lasso, Brett Goldstein. They keep the door open on how exactly he will return but it turns out that his casting was something Marvel Studios CEO Kevin Feige wanted to make happen according to director Taika Waititi.
Kevin really wanted him to do it, and yeah, Brett’s amazing. He’s great.
Taika Waititi
He also goes on to highlight that Hercules’ future in the MCU isn’t truly set in stone outside of what Feige might be planning for the cahracter.
And I don’t know if that’s to do with Thor, or if it’s to do with how that will develop. Because, obviously, Hercules, there’s a character from the books as well. And so, yeah, this will be interesting to see because Kevin, he’s obviously the mastermind of all of these threads and how they’ll tie up and how they meet, mix and match. So I’m curious to find out myself.
Taika Waititi
Goldstein is definitely a great get for Marvel Studios, as he’s hot off of the success of Ted Lasso and likely going to become a bigger name in the near future. It’s unclear if Hercules might get his own series or film leading into a fifth Thor film, or if that might generally be their take. For now, we’ll have to wait and see where the future might lead him to.
There have been many times as of late where fans have wanted to see the director’s cut of a recently released film. It’s not always the case but with success stories like Zack Snyder’s Justice League, it became a bit of a habit. Yet, Thor: Love and Thunder director Taika Waititi doesn’t really share those thoughts and highlights the importance of studios and directors working together, as otherwise, he’d release a “four and a half hours long” movie.
I’ve been thinking about director’s cuts. I watch director’s cuts of a lot of other directors. They suck. Director’s cuts are not good. Directors need to be controlled sometimes, and if I was to say, ‘ah, you wanna watch my director’s cut? It’s four and a half hours long!’ It’s not good, at four and a half hours. There’s a lot of cup-of-tea breaks in there, you don’t even have to pause it.
Taika Waititi
He also highlights that he’d mostly just add cuts scenes and add a few more jokes in the film, which many have critics have actually pointed out was an issue with the film’s overall tonee.
I’d say my cut would probably have a few more jokes in there. There might be a couple of deleted scenes, but as I always say, a scene is deleted because it’s not good enough to be in the film. I think the deleted scenes section on the DVD, not that they use them anymore, should just be a list of the scenes and no links so you can’t click on them!
Taika Waititi
So, if you were hoping for some kind of director’s cut you’ll not get one. Yes, they have teased that quite a few sequences were cut from the film, but it does match Taika Waititi‘s directing style to throw everything he has against the wall to see what sticks. So, it does seem safe to say that his version would definitely include quite a few more jokes.
Here’s a rather massive surprise but it looks like Zeus wasn’t always on the table for Thor: Love and Thunder. As revealed by artist Miles Teves, it seems that Russell Crowe was originally going to play a completely different character. While it’s uncertain at what point was he going to play this character, it seems they’ve envisioned him as the Devil or Satan at one point. Not just that, but eves also shared some artwork highlighting the design.
There’s also a second piece showcasing a more relaxed version of the character, but just with more added color and highlighting his lazy nature. It’s unclear if he would’ve had the same role in the story or if that was also changed while rewriting it.
It’s definitely a surprise that the character was almost featured in the film, and it adds more to the theories of Mephisto making his appearance at some point. Many believed he was the mastermind in the first Disney+ series, WandaVision but were surprised when he never even showed up. While the character here is being called the Devil or Satan, it could’ve been that they considered adding him in as Mephisto for a later storyline. Yet, as we now know how the story goes, we learn that they set up something quite different going into the post-credit sequences of this film. Still, it’s always interesting to see what almost was or could’ve been.
With the Friday number sin, we’re getting a better vision of where the box office for Thor: Love and Thunder is heading. After taking in a strong Thursday Preview with $29M, the film has ended up kicking off its box office run at around $69.5M on Friday, which includes the previews. As of now, it is seemingly heading towards a $135M with a potential $145M if it picks up some pace over the weekend. It’ll be the best opening for a Taika Waititi-directed project and even beat out Natalie Portman‘s best release which was Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith with $108M back in the day.
It doesn’t seem like the film will potentially outpace Jurassic World: Dominion and will have to settle for the third biggest opening of the year so far. Still, the reopening for Marvel Studios’ first fourth entry in a franchise isn’t doing too badly as it’s ahead of the $122M opening for Thor: Ragnarok. While it’s unclear if it’ll surpass that film’s total box office, especially with the now CinemaScore B+ rating potentially slowing down its legs, the sequel still managed to reach $950M when it was initially released with a B+ rating. Still, the film has been doing pretty well overseas as well and is already on its way to $300M opening.
there are quite a few theories going around on what this means for the Studio as it’s another B release after Strange and Eternals. Some are questioning if Marvel is overdoing it with Disney+ or generally if this is a sign of audiences being tired of the franchise. One could easily point to Deadline’s analysis from RelishMix which has looked at Social Media’s stirring with the controversy of Portman‘s return as a “gender-bent” version of the character and a surprising backlash to Waititi‘s trademark humor. With a horror film and a rom-com/comedy, it’s still a bit tough to really nail down if this is an issue on Marvel’s side or just everyone getting back into the swing of things.
The CinemaScore has finally arrived, which mostly reflects how the general audience feels about a film’s release. Unlike normal ratings, the films are mostly skewed heavily with A being the general goal for any release. Marvel Studios famously stuck around to this area as a “crowd-pleasing” offering but that has changed with Phase 4. Some of their releases have landed the B rating, most notably Eternals being the first to do so. Thor in 2011 also received a B+ rating. Now, Thor: Love and Thunder has also joined the B+ club.
CinemaScore has just released the fact that the general audience has given Thor: Love and Thunder a B+ grade. Now, the internet is already in a panic about this being the sign that Marvel Studios has lost its grace with the general audience, but there’s a lot more at play with this rating. Yes, it is normally a higher rating, anything with a C+, such as Morbius, is a sign that the film may not leg out
Yet, considering that the film currently holds an 84% like ratio from Google Users, stands at 7.1 on IMDb, and even has an 83% Audience Score on RottenTomatoes, you start to see the bigger picture. The only indication this value has is a hint at the legs a film will have at the box office, and if Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is anything to go by, a B+ won’t stop it too much. Yes, it won’t have the same momentum that could push it past its initial release but we may see a harsh drop in the second weekend.
Also, most indie releases end up in this ranking, which generally is a sign of how audiences consume media. If it is mindless fun, they’ll tend to give it a higher ranking and Marvel Studios still has an A ranking for films like Shang-Chi, Black Widow, and especially Spider-Man: No Way Home. Plus, the lowest ranking films also include strong horror and gore elements, such as Doctor Strange with Love and Thunder also includes some “bloody-esque” kills plus LGTB representation that is more dominant than a blink-and-you-miss-it kiss like in Lightyear. And if we want Marvel Studios to experiment (as has been proclaimed by many over the years), they will face a slight disconnect with general audiences at times.
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