Well-reviewed comic adaptation “Thor” is pacing for a strong box office debut this weekend, although its final total could fall more than $10 million short of last week’s opening gross for “Fast Five.”
Industry estimates for Friday’s opening day performance, which include more than $3 million in midnight screenings from late Thursday, are looking for between $23 and $30 million from “Thor.” Assuming it does, in fact, land in that range, it should be able to reach $65-$70 million by the end of the weekend.
Most analysts were eyeing an opener in the mid-$60 million range, so the film is not looking at risk of an underperformance. THR notes that the film, obviously most appealing to young males, started to gain some traction with young females in the last week.
“Fast Five,” which grossed a final total of $86 million in its debut weekend, will be the clear second place finisher. Deadline’s forecast, which it acknowledges is rough due to some reporting issues on Friday, has the latest sequel on track for more than $11 million Friday. New release “Something Borrowed” will remain in the game for a low-to-mid teens debut with $4-5 million on Friday.