Box Office: ‘Thor: Love & Thunder’ Nears $500M Worldwide, ‘Where The Crawdads Sing’ Has Strong $17M Debut

  1. Thor: Love & Thunder– $46M/$233.2M

By Odin’s beard! Thor: Love & Thunder managed to win the week, surprising nobody, with another $46M for a $233M domestic haul. However, the 68% drop is steep and suggests the mild critical response may have had an impact. Still, nobody at Marvel Studios is going to complain about the worldwide haul which is nearing $500M.

2. Minions: The Rise of Gru– $26M/$262.5M

3. Where the Crawdads Sing (review)- $17M

It’s good to see Sony get a win on something that isn’t a blatant attempt at a franchise, or a superhero movie. Where the Crawdads Sing, a thriller based on the bestselling Delia Owens novel, opened with a solid $17M. Led by Fresh breakout Daisy Edgar-Jones, with Reese Witherspoon as a producer (her producing muscle is considerable) and music by Taylor Swift, the film targeted its marketing campaign at women who perhaps are longing for the marshy, southern dramas of Nicolas Sparks.

4. Top Gun: Maverick– $12M/$617.9M

At $1.237B, Tom Cruise’s Top Gun: Maverick is also the top grosser of the year and I don’t see anything coming near it for quite a while.

5. Elvis– $7.6M/$106.2M

6. Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank– $6.7M

Did you know Paramount’s animated Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank is loosely adapted from Mel Brooks’ classic 1974 comedy Blazing Saddles? I’ve watched trailers and read many of the releases for this and NEVER would’ve guessed. I suppose Paramount was trying to hide it since that movie is now considered problematic. Disappointing, because I adore Blazing Saddles and would’ve paid to see this!

7. The Black Phone– $5.3M/$72M

8. Jurassic World Dominion– $4.9M/$359.7M

9. Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris (review)- $1.9M

The charming historical comedy Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris opened in 980 locations for $1.9M. That’s a middling number for the film led by Oscar nominee Lesley Manville and the great Isabelle Huppert, the third such adaptation of Paul Gallico’s 1958 novel.

10. Lightyear– $1.3M/$115.4M