Murphy's Multiverse

Tag: Thor

  • ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’ Passes $700M Worldwide

    ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’ Passes $700M Worldwide

    While it didn’t have the momentum early on, Thor: Love and Thunder has officially passed the $700M mark worldwide. It’s currently on its way to passing the box office of its predecessor if you exclude its Chinese and Russian box office. The original pulled in $850M when it was released back in 2017 but owed $112M alone to China with Russia making up 23M. So, it would “only” need to pass $715M to pull in a higher box office than its predecessor. Not too far away from its current $704M international cume.

    Naturally, many would assume that the influx should be higher, especially with the presumed $250M budget this film is standing on. Still, with a B+ CinemaScore and a more mixed critical reception, it still surprised many when it started picking up momentum. The second and third weekends seemingly had a stronger drop but it was during the week when things would pick up for the fourth Thor entry of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

    The film won’t be making a massive profit for Marvel Studios as it likely will break even but a fourth entry making as much or even more than its predecessor is also not a common thing in the market. Thor: Love and Thunder proves that Marvel Studios still has a good hold on the market and $700M is a great win for any production nowadays; Top Gun: Maverick is the exception that may be overlooked in the more fragile market we have right now.

    As of now, the film is likely to pass the first’s overall box office run and even reach around $750M+. There’s still a chance it could go higher if it legs out even with its 45-day window on the horizon; something that may be facing a change sooner rather than later. Still, the film is not a flop as many would make you believe and it’ll b interesting to see how Black Panther: Wakanda Forever performs later this year.

    Source: Twitter, The Numbers

  • ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’ Director Hints at Marvel Studios’ Plans for Hercules

    ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’ Director Hints at Marvel Studios’ Plans for Hercules

    The post-credit stinger for Thor: Love and Thunder felt like a return to form for the Marvel Studios franchise, as it finally introduced a new character that would have a big role moving forward. In it, we saw that Russell Crowe‘s Zeus survived having his own lightning bolt shot through his chest and sending his son out to kill Thor for what he’s done. As it turns out, the son he’s talking to (he’s had quite a few in Greek myth) is non-other than Hercules, played by Brett Goldstein.

    While many believed it may be a hint at the next entry for the Thor franchise, it does seem like they may have other plans for the Greek demigod, as hinted by Love and Thunder‘s director Taika Watiti. he highlighted that his inclusion was an idea from Marvel Studios directly and that he’ll likely “won’t be invited to come and be a part of.”

    And then [Louis D’Esposito?] is like, we’re gonna introduce Hercules, and um, that made no sense to me, I didn’t even know that was a character in Marvel, but um, apparently it is, and um… It was good, I know it’s opening up a whole new thing, uh, which I won’t be invited to come and be a part of, but I’m happy for everyone who loves Greek Gods.

    Taika Waititi

    That last line certainly sounds like a jab at many that have been openly displeased with his adaptation of the popular Norse God of Marvel myth. The more comedic direction has rubbed quite a few the wrong way and it seems to still stand out among the already comedy-heavy Marvel Cinematic Universe.

    His future with the franchise is uncertain and it’ll be interesting if they would make a follow-up, especially with how the latest film ended. No matter what direction they might go, it still looks like the future is full of opportunities and new characters for Marvel Studios.

    Source: Reddit via The Direct

  • ‘DC League of Super-Pets’ Has Soft Opening Weekend While Nope Faces Harsh Drop

    ‘DC League of Super-Pets’ Has Soft Opening Weekend While Nope Faces Harsh Drop

    The numbers are here and it does seem like DC League of Super-Pets isn’t going to make the box office explode as much as one would hope, as it came in at the lower end of its initial predictions with $23M. While it opened to a strong $2.2M, it didn’t quite pick up momentum over the weekend and was quite frontloaded; playing more like a usual franchise IP-driven project than family-friendly animation would even with an A- CinemaScore.

    The opening is closer to The Bad Guys back in April, which managed to leg out quite a bit, which the Super-Pets film can hope for with little to no competition. Perhaps taking over Black Adam‘s release date didn’t help either. It isn’t performing much better internationally either, as it pulled in 18.4M in 64 markets, which is quite below industry projections which expected at least a 41.4M worldwide opening.

    In other news, Nope took a heavy beating this weekend. Not only did it open quite below expectations but it dropped by 70% going into its Friday, not far from Marvel’s recent releases in the B CinemaScore club. It did take an overall 58.1% drop in its weekend which is higher than even Us which puts it at 80.6M now, earning 18.6M which is less than Get Out‘s 28.2M. Still, it’s currently on route to make around 140M and could still leg out in a very dead few months coming.

    Thor: Love and Thunder is also surprisingly quite a bit, as while it didn’t seemingly have the same legs as expected, it’s slowly picking up steam again and internationally performing decently with a 20.8M 4th weekend and now standing at 662.4M. Its projection is even growing again domestically, as it’s the 7th film to cross 300M in the US and now entered the Top 100. It could still end its run around 340M domestically, which is higher than Thor: Ragnarok‘s 315M. Only internationally it’ll slightly pass the original’s run sans China and Russia (and yes that is significant).

    The only thing hurting is that it does have a higher production budget of 250M which means the film will likely break even with a much smaller profit, still not bad considering the discourse surrounding it. Marvel isn’t dead by a longshot and still pulling in strong numbers. So far, the only real well-performing blockbusters entries have been 2020 layovers Top Gun Maverick and Minions: The Rise of Gru, which does raise some interesting questions. Everything Everywhere All At Once has also been one of those rare productions to keep its momentum, but not all indie productions have shared the same kind of momentum. We’ll see how this long pause may affect upcoming releases.

    Source: Forbes, Forbes, Twitter, The Numbers, Twitter

  • New ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’ BTS Images Offer Closer Look at Bastet

    New ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’ BTS Images Offer Closer Look at Bastet

    We were all quite excited for the arrival of Thor: Love and Thunder, as it would expand our understanding of godhood in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. While our visit to Omnipotence City was relatively brief, it did feature a host of interesting characters scattered throughout a sequence.

    Now, the most significant addition was that we could briefly see what looks to be Bastet in the foreground. While she sadly didn’t receive any lines, a new batch of behind-the-scenes photos shared by Luca Vannella offers the best look yet at her design from the film, which highlights her Egyptian background.

    It’s still bizarre they’d include such a monumental character of Balck Panther’s mythology and not even explore it in the story. We got a few short moments, and there’s some great inclusion of New Zealand deities, but we sadly didn’t quite get to explore the other pantheons throughout, even if Moon Knight already had us covered there.

    Perhaps they are setting up some more exploration of godhood that will be forced to get involved once a certain Conqueror potentially gets his way. We’re still in the set-up phase and there is a lot to be excited about. So, we’ll see where it’s all heading with SDCC heading our way starting today.

    Source: Twitter

  • ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’ Writer Surprised By Post-Credits Cameo 

    ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’ Writer Surprised By Post-Credits Cameo 

    Thor: Love and Thunder was full of surprises, but it’s biggest was perhaps one that came after the credits started rolling. A brief mid-credits scene introduced fans to Hercules, played by Ted Lasso’s Brett Goldstein, in a reveal that will likely serve to continue the adventures of Thor and his cohorts. The cameo caught global audiences off guard, and apparently, it was just as much of a shock to the film’s writer as it was to everyone else.

    Screenwriter Jennifer Kaytin Robinson, who partnered with director Taika Waititi to craft Love and Thunder’s story, told Variety that she was mostly unaware of Hercules’ inclusion before seeing it at the premiere. However, the creative didn’t seem to mind being left out of that decision:

    I saw that at the premiere with everybody else. In the same way that I guess Taika didn’t know Thor was coming back, I did not know that Roy Kent was Hercules. I’m a huge Marvel fan, so I was delighted to have one moment in the movie where I was truly surprised.

    Jennifer Kaytin Robinson

    When pressed over how she could have gotten all the way to the film’s release without knowing about the cameo, Robinson admitted she did have some idea the appearance could be happening. It would seem not all conversations at Marvel Studios are as secretive as people think:

    I knew there was talk about Hercules. The name Hercules was not not said in conversations that I definitely, probably wasn’t supposed to overhear, but did. So the minute I saw the beginning of the scene, I knew he was gonna be talking to Hercules. I didn’t know who they cast. But I was like, is this gonna be Hercules? I just knew that it was a thing that they were like, “We’re gonna want leeway with this, so stay away from it.”

    Jennifer Kaytin Robinson

    The last bit of Robinson’s quote is especially interesting, as it could suggest Marvel’s plans for the future of Goldstein’s character are still being figured out. Also, the fact that the film’s writer was kept in the dark about the script’s addition speaks volumes about the lengths Marvel will go to maintain a big reveal.

    Source: Variety

  • Brett Goldstein Discusses MCU Future and Surprising His Parents 

    Brett Goldstein Discusses MCU Future and Surprising His Parents 

    The Marvel Cinematic Universe’s latest A-list addition is Brett Goldstein. Best known for his role on AppleTV+’s Ted Lasso, the British actor made his surprise debut as Hercules in the post-credits scene for Thor: Love and Thunder. The reveal came as a huge shock for audiences everywhere, and apparently, it was a bombshell for Goldstein’s parents as well. In a recent interview with Variety, Goldstein explained that he kept his new role a secret from almost everyone, including his folks, and sent his family to see the film without telling them he’d be making an appearance:

    I didn’t tell anyone because Marvel put a chip in my neck that said ‘If you talk about this you’re dead’. My mom and dad, I sent them a text and said ‘I’ve just seen “Thor.”‘ I knew it’s not the kind of film they’d see. I said, ‘You should go see it. It’s funny.’

    Brett Goldstein

    The ruse was close to working too well. The Superbob star continued his story and revealed his mother almost missed her son’s cameo:

    My mom is texting me all the way through the film giving me a running commentary. I’m like, ‘Just watch the film!’ It gets to the end bit, where it shows Russell Crowe… My mom texts me ‘Russell Crowe’s in it again, he’s very funny.’ I go, ‘Fucking look up at the screen!’

    Brett Goldstein

    Perhaps much like his own parents, fans are desperate to learn when they might see the Son of Zeus pop up again in the MCU. The post-credits scene hinted strongly he’d return, but there has been no confirmation from Marvel Studios themselves. Unfortunately, it could be a while, as a later bit of the Variety interview had Goldstein stating he has no idea when he might be coming back:

    I truly, honestly — this isn’t me lying or being coy — I know nothing. All I know is what I did that day and that’s it. That could be it. It was a fun three seconds.

    Brett Goldstein

    Thor: Love and Thunder is in theaters now.

    Source: Variety

  • ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’ Faces Harsh Second Friday Drop at the Box Office

    ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’ Faces Harsh Second Friday Drop at the Box Office

    The numbers are in and Thor: Love and Thunder has faced quite the harsh drop going into its second weekend. Reports have stated that the latest Marvel film has plunged by around 80% after a bombastic opening last weekend. The domestic box office is showing its fangs with pretty much every production with one exception, Top Gun: Maverick, has faced similar drops. Even Minions: The Rise of Gru faced a harsh 70% drop on its second Friday.

    This marks the second highest drop for any Marvel film, as it’s around 2% ahead of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, which fell from a $91M Friday. The current drop is closer to what Black Widow faced when it was released last year on June 29th and November’s Eternals (75%). So, the film is likely to wrap up around $45M and pull in $233M in its first ten days.

    Any other franchise, as Forbes’ Scott Mendelsohn points out, this would be a strong second weekend but it is simply a record for a Marvel production. The question is if it’ll avoid the $100M loser club after opening to $144M. It’ll likely pass $500M worldwide by tomorrow but with some key markets also slowing down, anything can go for now. Even Jurassic World: Dominion saw a 73% drop and it had an A- CinemaScore while critics weren’t thrilled with the project.

    Is this the “end of Marvel” as many like to call any non-record breaking box office opening for their films? Not really, as it continues a trend we’re still seeing throughout the pandemic with bigger blockbusters. $13.8M is lower than Minions’ second weekend at $14.43M but that isn’t an indicator. Frontloading has become a new norm and the B+ Cinemascore simply points to people enjoying their first watch, but in no hurry to do so again.

    What works in its favor is that there’s no real competition moving forward outside of late July’s DC League of Super-Pets which likely is going to focus on a much younger crowd. Even with a 1.35x multiplier, the film would still end up around $315M which is around the same as Thor: Ragnarok. The only risk factor is the Disney+ release but Doctor Strange didn’t slow down too much still pulling in $34M after its release. That film faced the same CinemaScore and 45 digital release window but still managed to leg out to $950M.

    Most films in this era for Marvel have had harsh drops and the pandemic is still an issue for some. So, people are much more selective about what film they’ll watch or spend money on. Korea has seen Top Gun take back the top spot where it’s been performing exceptionally well like in many other markets. While the film won’t pass The Batman at this rate, it’s a good sign such different projects can pull in very different numbers.

    Source: Forbes, Forbes (Minions), The Numbers

  • ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’ Passes $200M Internationally

    ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’ Passes $200M Internationally

    Thor: Love and Thunder has been an interesting release, as it was welcomed with some more mixed arms by viewers. While Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness also faced a similar fate, mostly due to its horror roots, the B+ CinemaScore didn’t stop it from reaching creeping closely to $950M. Now, Thor: Love and Thunder may not have opened to thunderous applause, its box office numbers are certainly impressive.

    Just a few days into its first week after a strong international and domestic opening weekend; only missing the third-highest grossing opening weekend of the year by a million. Now, the film has already passed $200M worldwide after pulling in $16.4M. It now stands at $203.5M domestically

    The film opened to a $2.9M bow in France, which was one of the last to release and is an impressive +53% ahead of Thor: Ragnarok‘s release. Only slightly behind Jurassic World Dominion, as we saw domestically as well. Korea is seemingly the one market that has slowed down quite a bit given it got a worse ranking there, which is surprising given its strong standing with previous entries.

    The film is likely to pass $200M domestically by Friday, which sets it up for a strong weekend that could be on the lowe rend of Marvel’s recent high drops. Still, it seems its overall weekend to day seven is on the lower spectrum of the multiplier. A big drop is expected in the second weekend around the 60%+ but leg it out throughout the rest of the summer.

    Even Minions: the Rise of Gru faced a surprising harsh drop in its second weekend with only Top Gun: Maverick defying all expectations. It already pulled in $178.9M and has passed F9‘s $173M. So, it’ll be interesting what the weekend has planned for the latest Marvel venture.

    Source: Box Office Pro, Twitter, Forbes

  • Theory Thursday: What That ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’ Mid-Credit Scene Might Mean for the Future of the MCU

    Theory Thursday: What That ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’ Mid-Credit Scene Might Mean for the Future of the MCU

    Thor becoming the first Avenger to get a 4th film in their own series is actually a good thing given that there are still a few adventures for Odinson to go on, and make no mistake: this one leaves him in a very different place than any of the other three before it. The events of Thor left him on Asgard away from Jane and mourning the death of Loki. Thor: The Dark World had him leaving Asgard to be with Jane while again mourning the death of his mother and Loki…a second time. Then along came Ragnarok where he lost his father and sister and home but managed to escape Surtur. I think it is safe to say that no hero in the MCU has lost as much as Thor, and this fourth entry adds even more loss after adventures with the Avengers that saw him lose Coulson and Heimdall and Loki (again!) right in front of him. It should come as no surprise then that Thor’s latest movie ends with someone dying right in front of him then. Tragedy, it would seem, is what propels the God of Thunder forward into different adventures. It’s not just putting the Asgardian at the center of tragedy, though, that usually leads into the next big Avenger’s threat.

    It was Thor’s brother who arrived on Earth necessitating the Avengers to assemble initially, and it was the mind stone located inside Loki’s scepter that led to the creation of Ultron AND VIsion and the Scarlet Witch, which led to the Avengers reuniting. It was Thor sending Loki to light the eternal flame and unleash Surtur that also led to Loki stealing the Tesseract from Odin’s throne room, which drew Thanos to the refugee ship that the Asgardians were on. If you look back at the Infinity Saga, you can rightfully argue that Thor brought the Avengers face to face with their greatest villains (Loki, Ultron, and Thanos). The mid-credit scene of Thor: Love & Thunder hints at that continuing to be the case.

    Zeus, with a lightning-sized hole in his sternum, sends his son, Hercules, on a mission to knock the Odinson out of the sky, reclaiming glory meant for the gods instead of heroes. However, what if there’s more to this scene than meets the eye? What if what we are seeing play out isn’t really telling us everything? What if, to understand what’s really happening, we have to accept that someone else has paved the way?

    In the comics, one of Kang The Conqueror’s variants, Immortus, utilizes what are known as Space Phantoms to go after the Avengers by masquerading as famous heroes from different eras. This included heroes like Merlin, Goliath, and, yes, Hercules. This caused a team of villains led by Baron Zemo, who had enlisted Immortus’s help in defeating the Avengers, to go back in time to the moment where they accepted his help and, this time, refuse it. By introducing Hercules here, as an antagonist for Thor who arrives on Earth seeking the God Of Thunder out, it will undoubtedly bring the Olympian face to face with whoever the new group of Avengers is. What if the Hercules that arrives on Earth looking for Thor isn’t Zeus’s son, but a space phantom controlled by Immortus? Or, what if the Thor that Hercules finds isn’t the God of Thunder himself, but a space phantom?

    We are entering the world of secret invasions and variants. With Thor’s consistent connection to all of the Avengers-level villains, it stands to reason that we didn’t just see who Thor’s next antagonist would be, but that we just saw another piece of the puzzle being laid down by one of Kang’s variants. Hercules may be a son of Zeus, but he may also be a Space Phantom of Immortus.

  • ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’ Predicted to Cross $200M This Weekend

    ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’ Predicted to Cross $200M This Weekend

    The fourquel, which is seeing mixed reviews from critics, is still expected to top the box office in its second outing. However, as is the case with most blockbusters that are frontloaded, Love and Thunder is estimated to see a 65% decline for a $50 million second weekend. With yesterday’s $13.6 million haul, the film is just shy of $170 million stateside, which is actually ahead of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’ first Tuesday, which only pulled in $12.6 million.

    As for its second weekend decline, while it is a steep one, the projected decline is in line with the declines of Spider-Man: No Way Home (67%), Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (67%) and Eternals (62%).

    Love and Thunder won’t have much competition at the box office this weekend. Paramount and Nickelodeon are releasing the animated film, Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank, while Sony/Hello Sunshine are releasing the adaptation of Where the Crawdads Sing. Both are smaller budgeted films that are not expected to pose much of a threat. Although, Paws of Fury could see Minions: The Rise of Gru fall a notch or two this weekend with the films catering to the same market. The only true competition for Love and Thunder is Top Gun: Maverick, which doesn’t show any signs of slowing down at the box office now that is has crossed $600 million stateside.

    Source: Deadline