“Thor” land the hammer down at box office this weekend for Marvel.
The 3-D sequel “Thor: The Dark World” debuted with a healthy $86 million, according to an estimate from Marvel distributor Walt Disney Studios. That’s the fourth-highest opening of the year, but well behind another Marvel property, “Iron Man 3,” whose $174-million debut is still the biggest of 2013.
Heading into the weekend, prerelease audience surveys suggested the comic book adaptation would debut with a minimum of $90 million — and given strong early interest, even a $100-million launch didn’t seem impossible. The $86 million is still a great start – significantly more than the $65.7 million the 2011 original “Thor.” While “The Dark World” cost Marvel Entertainment $170 million to produce, the film is likely going to do so well overseas that the studio will end up in good shape.
The first “Thor,” which in the end collected $181 million domestically and $268 million abroad, wasn’t viewed as a massive hit — but still worthy to base a franchise on.
