Marvel’s latest “Thor” film continued its heroics at the box office, adding $46 million in North America over the weekend to lead all movies.
It’s the second consecutive box office victory for “Thor: Love and Thunder,” which electrified theaters with a franchise-best $144 million debut last weekend.
Directed by Taika Waititi, the fourth stand-alone “Thor” movie has now made $233 million in the United States and Canada since its July 8 release, and $498 million worldwide.
“Love and Thunder” stars Chris Hemsworth as the titular Marvel god and Natalie Portman as his ex-girlfriend, Jane Foster, who obtains superhuman abilities and becomes the hero The Mighty Thor. They team up with Tessa Thompson’s warrior Valkyrie in a quest to defeat the villainous Gorr the God Butcher, portrayed by Christian Bale.
The solid second weekend for “Love and Thunder” was enough to remain atop a crowded box office that features a mix of high-profile holdovers and multiple new releases.
The animated “Minions: The Rise of Gru” made $26 million in its third weekend in theaters to finish in second place. The family film, which serves as an origin story for Steve Carell’s supervillain Gru, has made $262 million domestically and $532 million worldwide.
The top new release of the weekend was the mystery drama “Where the Crawdads Sing,” which made $17 million to come in third at the North American box office. Adapted from a bestselling 2018 novel, the film stars Daisy Edgar-Jones and features an original song by Taylor Swift.
Tom Cruise’s mega-blockbuster “Top Gun: Maverick” landed another $12 million during its eighth weekend in theaters, boosting its domestic total to $617 million. The high-flying sequel is the highest-earning movie of 2022, with a global gross exceeding $1.2 billion.
The Baz Luhrmann-directed “Elvis” continued to shake up theaters, adding $7.6 million to finish fifth. The Elvis Presley biopic surpassed the $100 million mark in North America last week.
Next up for movie theaters is “Nope,” the third horror film written, directed and produced by Jordan Peele. Out Friday, the movie stars Daniel Kaluuya and Keke Palmer as Hollywood horse ranchers who encounter a terrifying phenomenon in the sky.
The animated “DC League of Super-Pets” and B.J. Novak’s directorial debut “Vengeance” hit theaters July 29, while the Brad Pitt-led action thriller “Bullet Train” arrives Aug. 5.
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