'Thor' hammers competition at North American box office / Photo: VALERIE MACON - AFP/File
-
William and Harry: Britain's warring royal brothers
-
Hong Kong Tiananmen activists to receive national security verdict
-
UN holds second informal poll for next leader
-
Who are the candidates vying to lead the UN?
-
In US mining hub, black lung rates soar
-
Swiatek into Cincinnati semis after Rybakina injury
-
Champions Arsenal embrace being 'hunted' as Premier League returns
-
University suspends academic behind Jason Arday plagiarism charges
-
World No.2 Rybakina retires from Cincinnati clash with Swiatek
-
Key European leaders demand Israel halt West Bank settlement project
-
'I heard you missed me': Melania Trump jokes about month out of spotlight
-
McIlroy bounces back to share BMW Championship lead
-
Amazon Prime Video to invest $2 bn in Latin America productions
-
Cobolli fueled by candy in sweet defeat of Paul
-
Panama Canal to reduce shipping over El Nino-fueled drought
-
Jailed Pakistan ex-PM Khan moved to hospital on court order: party
-
Maradona trial on hold over possible medical evidence mix-up
-
Pogacar eyes 'missing' piece ahead of Vuelta return
-
'Green dilemma': China's solar boom hurt birds, says study
-
US, Canada 'very close' to trade deal, Ottawa says, as details emerge
-
Pegula hangs on to dispatch Anisimova, reach Cincinnati semi-finals
-
Ronaldinho returns in search of 'beautiful' 300th goal
-
US charges woman with IS-inspired plot to blow up New York State Capitol
-
US pushes allies, China to back Trump's economic war on Iran
-
What a record-breaking El Nino could mean for the world
-
Former NBA MVP Harden reportedly set to return to Cavaliers
-
Duplantis edges Karalis to win Lausanne Diamond League pole vault
-
Brook makes Pakistan pay for drop as England dominate first Test
-
Alcaraz to return for US Open title defence
-
MemeCore Arrives on Nasdaq Through $1 Billion Landmark Treasury Transaction
-
China's rapid solar expansion hurt bird diversity: study
-
First US deportees land in Liberia
-
President Paul Biya back in Cameroon after 73 days away
-
US, Canada resume talks to finalize trade deal as details emerge
-
Newcastle boss Jaissle unfazed by lack of respect
-
Europe heatwaves scorch 80 million with 40 C heat: AFP analysis
-
US Open purse to top $100 mn as Grand Slams form player council
-
Carrick insists Man Utd will make more signings after quiet transfer window
-
Hull aim to silence critics after unexpected promotion to Premier League
-
US warns allies, China to back economic war on Iran
-
Pakistan hit back against England after Cox and Root fifties
-
Manifesto defends Germany's iconic Bauhaus against 'populist attacks'
-
Walmart reports mixed results as gas prices drag on US sales growth
-
Kenya's Kipyegon ends season with hamstring injury
-
Wang downs Sindhu to break Indian hearts at badminton worlds
-
Nord Stream bomb suspect arrested while working on movie about attack: media
-
As Europe's rivers recede, shippers scramble to limit damage
-
German football fans plan widespread VAR protests
-
Alonso won't confirm Fernandez will remain at Chelsea after Man City link
-
Scorching summer triggers record rockfalls in Alps, scientist says
'Thor' hammers competition at North American box office
Marvel's latest superhero installment "Thor: Love and Thunder" enjoyed a summer blockbuster debut, hammering competition to top this weekend's North American box office with an estimated $143 million haul, industry watcher Exhibitor Relations reported Sunday.
"This is another excellent Marvel opening for a series that started in 2011 and has grown with each episode," said analyst David A. Gross of Franchise Entertainment Research, adding that the film nearly doubled the average take for a 4th episode superhero movie.
The comedic follow-up to 2017's "Thor: Ragnarok" stars a muscle-clad, self-parodying Chris Hemsworth as the space viking who wields the mallet Mjolnir, but also finds himself pining for his ex-girlfriend Jane Foster (Natalie Portman), whose help he enlists to battle god butcher Gorr (Christian Bale).
Thor easily beat out "Minions: The Rise of Gru," which slipped to second spot after a phenomenal opening weekend over the July 4th holiday.
The latest goofy installment in Universal's animated "Despicable Me" franchise about the reformed super-villain Gru and his yellow Minions took in $45.5 million in the Friday-to-Sunday period.
Holding steady in third was Paramount's "Top Gun: Maverick," the crowd-pleasing sequel to the original 1986 film that once again features Tom Cruise as cocky US Navy test pilot Pete "Maverick" Mitchell.
The fighter ace feature, in its seventh week in theaters, has now grossed more than $597 million worldwide.
Baz Luhrmann's music biopic "Elvis" -- starring Austin Butler as the King alongside Tom Hanks as his exploitative manager, Colonel Tom Parker -- slipped one spot to fourth in the Warner Bros film's third weekend of release, at $11 million.
Rounding out the top five was "Jurassic World: Dominion," Universal's sixth installment in the "Jurassic Park" franchise, at $8.4 million.
The latest dinosaur frightfest stars Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard alongside franchise originals Sam Neill, Laura Dern and Jeff Goldblum.
Completing the top 10 were:
"The Black Phone" ($7.6 million)
"Lightyear" ($2.9 million)
"Marcel the Shell with Shoes On" ($340,000)
"Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness" ($262,000)
"Mr Malcolm's List" ($245,000)
E.AbuRizq--SF-PST
