'Thor,' the newest comic-book adaptation from Marvel Studios, powered its way to the top of the box office with a $66 million opening weekend in North America, according to early studio estimates. Internationally, the film grossed $46 million in 60 markets, bringing its worldwide cumulative gross to $242 million after 11 days of release.
Starring relative newcomer Chris Hemsworth as the titular Norse god of thunder, the $150 million film was distributed by Viacom Inc.'s (VIA, VIAB) Paramount Pictures and represents the third-highest start for a Marvel character launch. The debut trails the respective $114.8 million and $98.6 million openings for the higher-profile 'Spider-Man' and 'Iron Man' films, but it is ahead of the openings for the first 'X-Men' film and the Incredible Hulk films.
Paramount will also distribute 'Captain America,' another Marvel comic-book adaptation, this July. Walt Disney Co. (DIS), which bought Marvel for $4.3 billion in 2009, will begin distributing Marvel films starting with the superhero film 'The Avengers' in 2012.
The first major event film of the summer movie season, with 2,737 of its 3,955 locations screening in 3-D, saw 60% of its gross come from the premium-priced option. The film also played to its base, with males accounting for 63% of the audience.
'Thor' has kicked off the summer season in a big way,' Paramount Pictures Vice Chairman Rob Moore said in an interview Sunday. 'Both culturally and for the movie industry, the first week of May is when you can start to feel summer, and it's when schools start to let out and you can play into that window.'
Given its solid but not stellar opening, 'Thor' will depend for its long-term success on its box-office momentum in coming weeks, as the further installments in popular film franchises such as 'Pirates of the Caribbean' and 'Harry Potter' are also released in live-action 3-D.
'Fast Five,' last weekend's top-grossing film from Comcast Corp.'s (CMCSA, CMCSK) Universal Pictures, dropped to second place with $32.5 million. The action film's domestic cumulative gross is now $139.9 million. Internationally, the film continued to louis vuitton diaper bag, grossing $86.6 million and bringing its world-wide total to $324.7 million.
Appealing to the non-comic-fan demographic, the new romantic comedies 'Jumping the Broom' and 'Something Borrowed' from Sony Corp.'s (SNE, 6758.TO) TriStar Pictures and Time Warner Inc.'s (TWX) Warner Bros., grossed $13.7 million and $13.2 million, respectively.
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