NEW YORK - "Thor: Ragnarok" thundered to one of the year's best box-office debuts with an estimated $121 million domestically, proving again - just as its flexing its muscle - the might of the Walt Disney Co.
The robust debut for Marvel's third "Thor" movie was a welcome shot in the arm for Hollywood and theater owners who have suffered through a terrible October at the box office. "Thor: Ragnarok" also bucked the trend of diminishing returns for sequels. The 2011 "Thor" debuted with $65.7 million; 2013's "Thor: The Dark World" opened with $85.7 million.
"In this business, it's not often you see the second and third installments in the franchise outpacing the previous issue," said David Hollis, Disney's distribution chief. "You don't expect never-ending returns when it comes to sequels, but it definitely speaks to the quality of the talent at the Marvel Studios team and the way they're thinking about each film out of the gate."
The weekend's other new nationwide release, STX Entertainment's "A Bad Moms Christmas," opened with $17 million over the weekend and $21.6 million since opening Wednesday, according to studio estimates Monday. The holiday-themed sequel, which returns stars Mila Kunis, Kristen Bell and Kathryn Hahn, came in shy of the 2016 original's $23.8 million opening.
But the big story was "Thor," which also grossed $151.4 million in its second week of international release. The film has, in 10 days, made $427 million worldwide.
Disney isn't alone in being able to roll out such blockbusters but three of the year's five $100 million-plus releases are theirs. (Disney's other two are "Beauty and the Beast" and "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2") The studio has recently, as reported by The Wall Street Journal earlier this week, pushed new terms to theater owners, saying it will demand a 65 percent cut of ticket sales for its upcoming "Star Wars" film "The Last Jedi," as opposed to the more typical 60 percent.
The huge "Thor" opening also cements the unlikely breakthrough of New Zealand director Taika Waititi, who shepherded the $180 million production to Marvel's best reviews since 2008's "Iron Man." The movie scored a 93 percent fresh rating from Rotten Tomatoes and an "A'' CinemaScore from audiences.
Several films opened in limited release, including Greta Gerwig's coming-of-age tale "Lady Bird," with Saoirse Ronan. On four screens in New York and Los Angeles, the A24 release drew some of the most packed theaters of the year with a $93,903 per-screen average.
Rob Reiner's "LBJ," with Woody Harrelson, debuted with $1.1 million in 659 theaters. Richard Linklater's "Last Flag Flying," with Bryan Cranston, Steve Carell and Laurence Fishburne, brought in a per-screen average of $10,500 in four theaters.
Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Monday at US and Canadian theaters, according to comScore.
1. "Thor: Ragnarok," $121 million ($151.4 million international).
2. "A Bad Moms Christmas," $17 million.
3. "Jigsaw," $6.7 million.
4. "Tyler Perry's Boo 2!" $4.7 million.
5. "Geostorm," $3 million.
6. "Happy Death Day," $2.8 million.
7. "Thank You For Your Service," $2.3 million.
8. "Blade Runner 2049," $2.2 million.
9. "Only the Brave," $1.9 million.
10. "Let There Be Light," $1.6 million. - AP
