I think Thor is the only superhero movie this summer that I actually want to see. The 3D trailer before Tron was sick, but I haven't liked any of the other trailers. Still, it doesn't hurt at all that Natalie Portman and Kat Dennings are in it.

PaisleyParksAndRec said:

I think Thor is the only superhero movie this summer that I actually want to see. The 3D trailer before Tron was sick, but I haven't liked any of the other trailers. Still, it doesn't hurt at all that Natalie Portman and Kat Dennings are in it.

I don't think that I'll spend the $$$ to see this one in 3-D.

PurpleJedi said:

i can't wait 2 see this weekend ..i've been hyped 4 this crop of summer movies 4 a while after last years bore fest. always MARVEL at how marvel comics does their movies while DC sleeps at the wheel.

L4OATheOriginal said:

i can't wait 2 see this weekend ..i've been hyped 4 this crop of summer movies 4 a while after last years bore fest. always MARVEL at how marvel comics does their movies while DC sleeps at the wheel.

It certainly ha steh feel of teh other Marvel Films (by that I mean The Incredible Hulk and teh 2 Iron Mans)...its not deep but its one of those fun popcorn films....you can watch it over and over and still enjoy it, bit like transformers.

Its also quite funny in places

[img:$uid]http://i56.tinypic.com/11v65xg.jpg[/img:$uid]

Kenneth Branagh Vindicated By Thor’s Box Office Success

May 2011

The big-budget comic book adaptation Thor has become the number one film at the international box office, putting to rest concerns that the UK’s Kenneth Branagh was the wrong man to direct it.

Although it hasn’t yet been released in U.S. cinemas, Thor has been bringing superheroic returns overseas where it’s opened over the weekend in more than fifty countries. So far the film has taken in more than $90 million.

With his background in Shakespeare — and art-house pictures — Branagh knew many in the film industry considered him the least likely candidate for directing such a large scale Hollywood extravaganza.

But the director told me at the center of Thor is a relationship drama, which was familiar territory. Although he conceded that everything else about the film was about a hundred times the size of what he’s been accustomed to.

Branagh has spent the best part of two years in Hollywood bringing the superhero project to fruition. With an estimated budget of $150 million, Thor is packed with special effects and boasts a cast that includes Sir Anthony Hopkins and Natalie Portman.

Thor, played by the Australian actor Chris Hemsworth, is the latest Marvel Comics superhero to be adapted for the big screen. The Mighty Thor, the hammer-wielding Norse god, first appeared in Marvel Comics almost fifty years ago. Branagh faced the challenge of making an entertainment inspired by an iconic character that would appeal well beyond comic book fans. He appears to have succeeded.

Before its release he said he thought his picture would engage audiences in the same way as a Shakespeare play. He commented: “Shakespeare was always interested in what it took to be a good king, a great leader, and I think Thor has that quality where the stakes are very high.”

Although Thor is a big money-making endeavor, Branagh didn’t find commercial pressures ever interfered with his artistry: "I felt free. I felt able to get on with it. I knew what I was joining."

In recent years his directorial efforts haven’t always brought great acclaim so I asked him if he felt there was a lot riding on this film in career terms. His response was matter of fact: “I’ve always felt that you mark your own scorecard. I’m proud of what we’ve done.”

Before Thor’s international release this weekend, Branagh was saying that the public would decide whether or not he would ever return to Hollywood to make another big budget epic. Well judging by the response at the overseas box office the public has decided — and voted overwhelmingly in his favor.

http://blogs.bbcamerica.c...e-success/

[img:$uid]http://i53.tinypic.com/2dbkkls.jpg[/img:$uid]

Hemsworth and wife Elsa Pataky @ the LA premiere of Thor (May 3).

Identity said:

I don't imagine anybody can say for sure, except the wife.

Identity said:

[img:$uid]http://i53.tinypic.com/2dbkkls.jpg[/img:$uid]

Hemsworth and wife Elsa Pataky @ the LA premiere of Thor (May 3).

Damn, she's fuckin' HOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[img:$uid]http://i51.tinypic.com/23lck8y.jpg[/img:$uid]

Hemsworth at LA premiere with Thor's co-creator, the immortal Stan Lee.

This turned to be good! I enjoyed it--much more than I thought I would. The "cameo" was really a nice touch.

Efan said:

This turned to be good! I enjoyed it--much more than I thought I would. The "cameo" was really a nice touch.

...the cameo in the rain?

felt a bit shoehorned in but I suppose theyve got to really

purpledoveuk said:

Efan said:

This turned to be good! I enjoyed it--much more than I thought I would. The "cameo" was really a nice touch.

...the cameo in the rain?

felt a bit shoehorned in but I suppose theyve got to really

Really? I liked it. I didn't think of it as shoehorned; it seems like they're building up with each successive movie and advancing a larger plot.

the cameo in the rain? i must have missed that part but thor was very good but i wonder if people stayed after the credits :hmmm:

L4OATheOriginal said:

the cameo in the rain? i must have missed that part but thor was very good but i wonder if people stayed after the credits :hmmm:

Yeah, I did. I think everyone is "trained" now to stay after the credits in a Marvel movie. It was okay, but I didn't love it. It seemed kind of pointless.

Spoiler alert--highlight the text below if you want to see who the cameo in the rain was:

The guy tracking Thor with arrows as he was breaking into the compound was Hawkeye (played by Jeremy Renner). He's going to be in The Avengers.

[img:$uid]http://i53.tinypic.com/qx7yiu.jpg[/img:$uid]

Thor Opens To $66M in North America

May 8, 2011

Successfully introducing a new superhero character to the big screen, Paramount and Marvel Studios’ 3D tentpole Thor opened to a strong $66 million from 3,955 theaters at the domestic box office.

Overseas, where the movie bowed first, Thor has earned an impressive $176 million in only 11 days -- better than the lifetime international gross of fellow Marvel properties X-Men ($139 million) and Fantastic Four ($175.9 million). Thor’s worldwide total is $242 million.

Link

Identity said:

[img:$uid]http://i53.tinypic.com/qx7yiu.jpg[/img:$uid]

Thor Opens To $66M in North America

May 8, 2011

Successfully introducing a new superhero character to the big screen, Paramount and Marvel Studios’ 3D tentpole Thor opened to a strong $66 million from 3,955 theaters at the domestic box office.

Overseas, where the movie bowed first, Thor has earned an impressive $176 million in only 11 days -- better than the lifetime international gross of fellow Marvel properties X-Men ($139 million) and Fantastic Four ($175.9 million). Thor’s worldwide total is $242 million.

Link

Not great numbers for a summer blockbuster.

It may struggle to reach $200 million in North America.

[Edited 5/8/11 11:39am]

SUPRMAN said:

Identity said:

[img:$uid]http://i53.tinypic.com/qx7yiu.jpg[/img:$uid]

Thor Opens To $66M in North America

May 8, 2011

Successfully introducing a new superhero character to the big screen, Paramount and Marvel Studios’ 3D tentpole Thor opened to a strong $66 million from 3,955 theaters at the domestic box office.

Overseas, where the movie bowed first, Thor has earned an impressive $176 million in only 11 days -- better than the lifetime international gross of fellow Marvel properties X-Men ($139 million) and Fantastic Four ($175.9 million). Thor’s worldwide total is $242 million.

Link

Not great numbers for a summer blockbuster.

It may struggle to reach $200 million in North America.

[Edited 5/8/11 11:39am]

but is it actually summer blockbuster season yet? pretty good numbers for a property that even very few Marvel Comics fans actually give a shit about.

errant said:

SUPRMAN said:

Not great numbers for a summer blockbuster.

It may struggle to reach $200 million in North America.

[Edited 5/8/11 11:39am]

but is it actually summer blockbuster season yet? pretty good numbers for a property that even very few Marvel Comics fans actually give a shit about.

Yes.

'Thor' opens the summer blockbuster season.

That's why it's going to struggle because now each week is gonna be a new one to see.

If you can't open over $100 million, you're not likely to get to $300 by September.

btw, I haven't seen it. May not see it.
I don't think they cast the right guy as Thor.

Thor is bulkier, certainly more bearish.

[Edited 5/8/11 12:48pm]

[EDITED]

Although the opening for "Thor" wasn't as enormous as those of other superhero movies, it still exceeded studio expectations, which were around $55 million. It was the third-highest opening for a Marvel franchise launch, behind "Spider-Man," which made $115 million in 2002, and "Iron Man," which made $98.6 million in 2008.

Don Harris, Paramount's executive vice president for distribution, thought the film held appeal for both men and women; 37 percent of the audience was female.

"Chris Hemsworth looks like he's going to be a movie star," Harris said. "Kenneth Branagh made a very smart movie, and the idea that the man who's most closely identified with Shakespeare is making a Marvel superhero movie, I always thought was pretty interesting. Audiences connected with the Natalie Portman relationship, between her character and Thor. The movie looks spectacular on the screen. It was fun, and it's a big, epic movie."

Hollywood.com box office analyst Paul Dergarabedian thought "Thor" had a pretty respectable opening given that it's a lesser-known comic book title.

"Expectations always get wildly overblown with superhero movies — a superhero movie has the biggest opening weekend of all time: 'The Dark Knight,'" Dergarabedian said of the hit in the Batman franchise. "Expectations are always extremely high, especially on the first weekend in May, which is traditionally a huge weekend."

"It may have a solid hold," he added. "Sometimes it's not just about opening weekend. Sometimes it's about playability."

The next big competition for "Thor" comes in two weeks, on May 20, with the opening of "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides," the fourth film in the blockbuster Disney franchise. On Memorial Day weekend come the sequels "The Hangover Part II" from Warner Bros. and "Kung Fu Panda 2" from Paramount.

[EDITED]

http://www.google.com/hos...ca00cecace

errant said:

SUPRMAN said:

Not great numbers for a summer blockbuster.

It may struggle to reach $200 million in North America.

[Edited 5/8/11 11:39am]

but is it actually summer blockbuster season yet? pretty good numbers for a property that even very few Marvel Comics fans actually give a shit about.

And, we might want to remember as well that because this debuted in other countries before the US, it's been available online in not-too-bad quality for a little bit now. So, this could possibly have been responsible for the dent in the numbers too.

alexnvrmnd777 said:

errant said:

but is it actually summer blockbuster season yet? pretty good numbers for a property that even very few Marvel Comics fans actually give a shit about.

And, we might want to remember as well that because this debuted in other countries before the US, it's been available online in not-too-bad quality for a little bit now. So, this could possibly have been responsible for the dent in the numbers too.

That's even worse.

I'd lower my projection for Thor. $200 million will exceed expectations.

BklynBabe said:

I'm ready for Pirates and X men....

X-Men First Class looks really intriguing to me. I'm very excited about that one.

Efan said:

BklynBabe said:

I'm ready for Pirates and X men....

X-Men First Class looks really intriguing to me. I'm very excited about that one.

yes

Efan said:

BklynBabe said:

I'm ready for Pirates and X men....

X-Men First Class looks really intriguing to me. I'm very excited about that one.

I could go either way on it. based on what they did with X3, I've intentionally steered clear of most info on it to keep my expectations down or neutral so that I won't be disappointed and might end up pleasantly surprised.

errant said:

Efan said:

X-Men First Class looks really intriguing to me. I'm very excited about that one.

I could go either way on it. based on what they did with X3, I've intentionally steered clear of most info on it to keep my expectations down or neutral so that I won't be disappointed and might end up pleasantly surprised.

I hated X3 too (and Wolverine). But I think this is going to be different. Plus, that cast looks incredible.

I saw the movie today, and I will say it's a good movie. Not great, but entertaining nevertheless. I think that the scenes in Asgard where the mythology of Thor and Odin is explained has a lot of those Shakespearean/Lord of the Rings elements to it, but it gets lost once the scenes on Earth are shown, particularly when Thor is not present. I will say that they cast the right actor to play Thor, as he was big and bulky yet added enough charisma and humor to the character without making him into a cheeseball.

I'm curious to see how this whole comic book superhero genre is going to play out this summer. You already have the next X-Men movie coming out, plus the Green Lantern and the remake of Conan the Barbarian. And as far as Thor's box office numbers, remember that he's a secondary player in the Marvel Comics universe like Iron Man, the Fantastic Four, and the X-Men, and he ranks higher than Blade and the Punisher but behind Spiderman and the Incredible Hulk.