Box office: ‘Thor’ clings to the top despite record 68% drop

As rival studios steered clear of Thor: Love and Thunder, Disney’s latest Marvel film didn’t face much trouble in retaining its hold on the top spot at the box office in its sophomore weekedn, reported Collider and Forbes.

However, its major Friday-to-Friday drop may be concerning for executives. Love and Thunder fell by a massive 68% by earning $46 million, in contrast to its $144 million debut last week, making a $232 million ten-day total. The drop can be attributed to any of the factors, including but not limited to divided critical response, fan response, as well as the public knowledge that it will be released on the Disney+ streaming app 45 days after release.

The drop puts Love and Thunder on the list of the biggest second weekend falls for any Marvel Cinematic Universe title. By comparison, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness fell by 67% in its sophomore weekend earlier this year, and Black Widow dropped 68% in 2021. Spider-Man: No Way Home also fell by 68%, but it made over $100 million more than Love and Thunder in its opening weekend.

But is this drop a sign of trouble on the horizon for the MCU? As per Forbes, no. Since Love and Thunder is still on the path to pass $300 million domestic and $700 million worldwide. It’s not like the movie got bashed like Morbius. And the good news remains that Love and Thunder will be the last live-action “big movie for kids” until the Avatar rerelease on September 23.

On the contrary, Sony’s Where the Crawdads Sing is outperforming industry expectations in its debut weekend, claiming the number three spot. The film is a positive development for the adult-oriented market, grossing $16 million this weekend. On Thursday, it opened with a very solid $2.3 million, a number that is traditionally attached to a bare-minimum opening weekend of $20 million, and in most cases even higher.

While Top Gun: Maverick’s dream run at the box office continues since only three films have so far been able to put up better numbers than the Tom Cruise starrer, amassing over $12 million in their eighth weekend – Titanic ($23 million), Avatar ($22.8 million), and Home Alone ($12.6 million).

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