Millions for Mjölnir
Disney and Marvel Studios’ superhero sequel Thor: Love and Thunder lit up the sky with the best opening among all four Thor films: $143M domestic plus $159M overseas, for a $302M global bow.
Domestically, that’s the:
- #30 opening weekend of all time
- #12 opening weekend among Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) titles
- #4 opening weekend of the pandemic era
Both Thunder’s $159M overseas and $302M global figures represent the third-best openings for any Hollywood film of the pandemic era.
In both cases, the only two two titles ranking ahead of it are fellow Marvel Studios releases – Spider-Man: No Way Home ($334.2M overseas / $587.2M global) and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness ($265M overseas / $450M global).
Domestically, the opening exceeds the franchise’s prior three installments:
- 2.1x 2011’s Thor ($65.7M)
- +66% above 2013’s Thor: The Dark World ($85.7M)
- +16% above 2017’s Thor: Ragnarok ($122.7M)
Compared to other comparable MCU and other superhero titles from the past year, it’s also:
- -45% behind 2021’s Spider-Man: No Way Home ($260.1M)
- -23% below May’s Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness ($187.4M)
- +6% above March’s DC Comics adaptation The Batman ($134.0M)
In the past few days, it had previously earned the tied-#13 biggest Thursday preview gross of all time, while its Friday marked the #29 single-day gross of all time.
The estimated audience was 60% male. That’s slightly higher than for Black Widow (58%), but slightly lower than for Eternals (61%), Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (61%), and Multiverse of Madness (62%).
The audience was also 58% older than 25. That’s higher than for Eternals (47%), Shang-Chi (49%), Black Widow (53%), and Multiverse (57%).
The top five overseas markets to date include:
- South Korea ($15.3M)
- U.K. ($14.8M)
- Australia ($13.8M)
- Mexico ($11.8M)
- India ($8.3M)
The Fall of Gru
Universal / Illumination’s animated sequel Minions: The Rise of Gru led last weekend with $107.0M, the #58 opening weekend and #10 animated opening weekend of all time.
This frame, it falls a steep -57% to $45.5M, ranking as the #76 second weekend of all time.
That drop ranks as the steepest among all films in the Despicable Me / Minions franchise:
- 2010’s Despicable Me (-42%)
- 2013’s Despicable Me 2 (-48%)
- 2015’s Minions (-57%)
- 2017’s Despicable Me 3 (-54%)
Compared to other recent major animated sequels and spinoffs, that’s steeper than:
- 2019’s Frozen II (-34%, though its second frame fell on Thanksgiving weekend, considerably easing its decline; its third weekend fell -59%)
- 2016’s Finding Dory (-46%)
- 2019’s Toy Story 4 (-51%)
- 2018’s Incredibles 2 (-56%)
However, it’s milder than:
- April’s Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (-59%)
- 2019’s The Lion King (-60%)
- June’s Lightyear (-64%)
Gru now stands at $210.0M domestic. Through the equivalent point in release, that’s:
- -2% behind 2015’s Minions ($215.7M)
- +77% above 2010’s Despicable Me ($118.4M)
- -8% below 2013’s Despicable Me 2 ($228.3M)
- +41% above 2017’s Despicable Me 3 ($148.7M)
Overseas its total stands at $189.8M, for $399.8M globally. The film opened in France this weekend with $7.0M, while the top five holdover market totals to date include:
- Mexico ($22.0M)
- U.K. ($22.1M)
- Australia ($20.2M)
- Germany ($10.3M)
- Spain ($9.0M)
Still feeling the need for speed
Paramount’s action-adventure sequel Top Gun: Maverick fell -40% to $15.5M.
After debuting with “only” the #40 opening weekend of all time ($126.7M), it’s remained in the top-10 for every subsequent frame:
- #8 second weekend of all time ($90.0M)
- #10 third weekend of all time ($51.8M)
- #3 fourth weekend of all time ($44.6M), behind only American Sniper and Avatar.
- #4 fifth weekend of all time ($29.6M), behind only American Sniper, Avatar, and Titanic
- #4 sixth weekend of all time ($25.5M), behind only Avatar, American Sniper, and Frozen.
- Now the #7 seventh weekend of all time, behind only Avatar, Titanic, Home Alone, American Sniper, Frozen, and Gran Torino.
Domestically, Maverick is the highest-grossing film of 2022 so far, despite debuting with a lower opening weekend than Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, The Batman, Jurassic World: Dominion, and now also Thor: Love and Thunder.
Maverick has now earned $597.4M domestic, $586.2M overseas, and $1.18B globally. That’s the biggest global total of 2022 so far, including Chinese films.
It also means 50.4% of its global earnings have come domestically, a rare feat in this day and age for a film at this level, helped because the film has not been released in China.
The top five overseas market totals include:
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U.K. ($87.9M)
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Japan ($63.2M)
-
Australia ($55.0M)
-
France ($44.7M)
-
South Korea ($37.8M)
Can’t help falling (at the box office)
Warner Bros.’ Elvis Presley biopic Elvis debuted on top two weekends ago with $31.2M, on the lower end of pre-release projections though still first place.
In its sophomore frame it wasn’t exactly a heartbreak hotel, falling a relatively decent -41%.
Now in its third weekend, Elvis declines -40% to $11.0M.
It’s now earned $91.1M total. Through the equivalent point in release, that’s above several comparable films:
- 4.6x ahead of 2021’s Respect ($19.7M)
- 3.8x ahead of 2021’s fellow ‘50s-set musical West Side Story ($23.9M)
- +88% ahead of 2019’s Yesterday about the Beatles ($48.2M)
- +73% ahead of 2004’s Ray about Ray Charles ($52.5M)
- +36% ahead of 2019’s Rocketman ($66.7M)
- +33% ahead of 2005’s Walk the Line about Johnny Cash ($68.2M)
However, it’s also behind:
- -20% behind director Baz Luhrmann’s previous theatrical release, 2013’s The Great Gatsby ($114.2M)
- -29% behind 2018’s Bohemian Rhapsody ($128.2M)
- -30% behind 2015’s Straight Outta Compton ($134.0M)
The film has now earned $64.0M overseas, for $155.1M globally. Overseas, it fell -44% in holdover markets this weekend, after declining an impressively mild -28% in holdover markets last frame.
The top five overseas market totals include:
- U.K. ($16.9M)
- Australia ($14.8M)
- France ($5.0M)
- Germany ($3.1M)
- Japan ($2.6M)
Dinosaurs and more
Since its large debut last month, Universal’s sci-fi thriller sequel Jurassic World: Dominion has been falling fairly fast. This frame is no exception, dropping -49% to $8.4M.
For context, it earned the:
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#29 opening weekend of all time
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#39 second weekend of all time
-
#81 third weekend of all time
-
In its fourth weekend, last frame, it dropped out of the top 100.
-
Ditto for this weekend, its fifth.
It’s now earned $350.3M domestically. Through the same point in release, that’s -8% behind Fallen Kingdom ($384.1M) and -40% behind Jurassic World ($590.6M).
Dominion has also earned $526.1M overseas for a $874.6M global haul. The top five overseas markets include:
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China ($143.9M)
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Mexico ($42.3M)
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U.K. ($38.7M)
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France ($25.5M)
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Australia ($23.5M)
‘All’ in the family
A24’s sci-fi comedy Everything Everywhere All at Once has now earned $67.6M, extending its lead as the biggest film in the history of indie distributor A24. That’s ahead of A24’s:
- 2019’s Uncut Gems ($50.0M)
- 2017’s Lady Bird ($48.9M)
- 2018’s Hereditary ($44.0M)
It finally falls out of the top 10, tentatively ranking in 11th place, only $4,000 behind Bleecker Street’s Mr. Malcolm’s List in 10th place.
Assuming that stands when Monday actuals released – and also assuming it doesn’t reenter the top 10 – Everything will have spent an incredibly impressive 14 weekends in the box office top 10. That’s despite only attaining a max weekend rank of #4.
Weekend comparisons
Total box office this weekend came in around $235.6M, which is:
- +23% above last weekend’s total ($190.1M), when Minions: The Rise of Gru led with $107.0M.
- 3.4x the equivalent weekend in 2021 ($69.0M), when F9 led for a second consecutive frame with $23.0M.
- +28% above the equivalent weekend in the last pre-pandemic year 2019 ($183.8M), when Spider-Man: Far from Home led with $92.5M after debuting the prior Tuesday.
YTD comparisons
Year-to-date box office stands around $4.21B. That’s:
- 3.42x this same point in the pandemic recovery year of 2021 ($1.23B), down from 3.56x after last weekend.
- -30.2% behind this same point in 2019, the last pre-pandemic year ($6.03B), up from -31.7% last weekend. This marks the highest YTD standing versus 2019 attained so far this year.
Top distributors
Paramount still leads by a considerable margin:
- Paramount ($1.03B)
- Universal ($883.5M)
- Disney ($673.0M)
- Warner Bros. ($567.4M)
- Sony Pictures ($487.8M)
Sunday’s Studio Weekend Estimates:
| Title | Estimated weekend | % change | Locations | Location change | Average | Total | Weekend | Distributor |
| Thor: Love and Thunder | $143,000,000 | 4,375 | $32,686 | $143,000,000 | 1 | Walt Disney | ||
| Minions: The Rise of Gru | $45,550,000 | -57% | 4,427 | 36 | $10,289 | $210,078,580 | 2 | Universal |
| Top Gun: Maverick | $15,500,000 | -40% | 3,513 | -330 | $4,412 | $597,406,113 | 7 | Paramount |
| Elvis | $11,000,000 | -40% | 3,714 | -218 | $2,962 | $91,122,702 | 3 | Warner Bros. |
| Jurassic World: Dominion | $8,410,000 | -49% | 3,251 | -550 | $2,587 | $350,325,830 | 5 | Universal |
| The Black Phone | $7,660,000 | -37% | 2,559 | -597 | $2,993 | $62,312,410 | 3 | Universal |
| Lightyear | $2,900,000 | -55% | 2,090 | -1,710 | $1,388 | $112,322,200 | 4 | Walt Disney |
| Marcel the Shell with Shoes On | $340,000 | 30% | 48 | 26 | $7,083 | $963,416 | 3 | A24 |
| Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness | $262,000 | -37% | 140 | -450 | $1,871 | $411,062,441 | 10 | Walt Disney |
| Mr. Malcolm’s List | $245,416 | -70% | 1,057 | -327 | $232 | $1,638,979 | 2 | Bleecker Street |
| Everything Everywhere All At Once | $241,188 | -56% | 286 | -321 | $843 | $67,632,747 | 16 | A24 |
| The Bad Guys | $232,000 | 24% | 318 | -217 | $730 | $96,369,975 | 12 | Universal |
| The Bob’s Burgers Movie | $165,000 | -17% | 200 | -75 | $825 | $31,778,589 | 7 | 20th Century Studios |
| Official Competition | $102,000 | -30% | 166 | -7 | $614 | $458,253 | 4 | IFC Films |
| Both Sides of the Blade | $25,000 | 4 | $6,250 | $25,000 | 1 | IFC Films | ||
| Fire of Love | $22,328 | 3 | $7,443 | $40,686 | 1 | Neon | ||
| Mad God | $19,000 | -49% | 25 | -12 | $760 | $215,737 | 5 | Shudder |
| Murina | $6,702 | 1 | $6,702 | $6,702 | 1 | Kino Lorber |
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