Weekend Box Office: 'Thor' Has Thunderous Opening, 'Fast Five' Still in the Race
by Andy Neuenschwander
The answer, in short, is no. But "Thor" still opened strong with a weekend total of $66 million and a worldwide cumulative total of $242 million (the movie opened internationally last weekend).
The superhero flick was bolstered by good reviews from critics and positive audience feedback. The advertising campaign might have helped too: "Thor" had a Super Bowl ad, high-octane trailers for men, and Chris Hemsworth's shirtlessness for women.
"Thor" cost $150 million to make, so it's already turning out to be a good investment for Marvel Studios. The company should see continued success with "Captain America" and, later, "The Avengers."
"Fast Five" dropped by more than 62% domestically to come in at $32.5 million. The drop might seem sharp, but when you open at $84 million it's not unexpected. That number was enough for "Fast Five" to place second over the weekend, and it's enjoying a strong worldwide cume as well.
Family comedy "Jumping the Broom" placed third with $13.7 million. The movie received very positive audience reactions even though the reviews from critics were middling. The movie, which stars Mike Epps, Angela Bassett, and Loretta Devine, appealed largely to an African-American audience.
In fourth place was another new comedy, "Something Borrowed." The rom-com stars Kate Hudson, Ginnifer Goodwin and "The Office" star Jon Krasinski. Despite poor reviews, the movie performed as expected and brought in $13.2 million.
Hanging on for another decent weekend was "Rio," which pulled in another $8.2 million. The animated flick has now reached a cumulative total of $115 million domestically, plus a big chunk of change overseas as well.
- "Thor" - $66 million
- "Fast Five" - $32.5 million
- "Jumping the Broom" - $13.7 million
- "Something Borrowed" - $13.2 million
- "Rio" - $8.2 million