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Thor: Love and Thunder
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Taika Waititi
Written by	Taika Waititi Jennifer Kaytin Robinson
Based on	Marvel Comics
Produced by	Kevin Feige Brad Winderbaum
Starring	Chris Hemsworth Christian Bale Tessa Thompson Jaimie Alexander Taika Waititi Russell Crowe Natalie Portman
Cinematography	Barry Idoine
Edited by	Matthew Schmidt Peter S. Elliot Tim Roche Jennifer Vecchiarello
Music by	Michael Giacchino Nami Melumad
Production company	Marvel Studios
Distributed by	Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
Release dates	June 23, 2022 (2022-06-23) (El Capitan Theatre) July 8, 2022 (2022-07-08) (United States)
Running time	119 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$250 million
Box office	$77.6 million

Thor: Love and Thunder is a 2022 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics character Thor, produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. It is the sequel to Thor: Ragnarok (2017) and the 29th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). The film is directed by Taika Waititi, who co-wrote the script with Jennifer Kaytin Robinson, and stars Chris Hemsworth as Thor alongside Christian Bale, Tessa Thompson, Jaimie Alexander, Waititi, Russell Crowe, and Natalie Portman. In the film, Thor attempts to find inner peace, but must return to action and recruit Valkyrie (Thompson), Korg (Waititi), and Jane Foster (Portman)—who is now the Mighty Thor—to stop Gorr the God Butcher (Bale) from eliminating all gods.

Hemsworth and Waititi had discussed plans for a sequel to Ragnarok by January 2018. Love and Thunder was announced in July 2019, with Hemsworth, Waititi, and Thompson all set to return, as well as Portman who did not appear in Ragnarok. Waititi wanted to differentiate Love and Thunder from Ragnarok, seeking to make a romance film and 1980s-inspired adventure. He adapted elements from Jason Aaron's run on the Mighty Thor comic book, which sees Foster take on the mantle and powers of Thor whilst suffering from cancer. Robinson joined to contribute to the script in February 2020, and further casting was revealed later that year including the appearance of the Guardians of the Galaxy. Production was expected to begin in late 2020 but was delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Filming ultimately began in January 2021 in Sydney, Australia, and concluded at the beginning of June.

Thor: Love and Thunder premiered at the El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood on June 23, 2022, and was released in the United States on July 8, as part of Phase Four of the MCU. The film earned praise for its light-heartedness and cast performances (particularly those of Bale and Portman), while criticism was aimed at its inconsistencies in tone and screenplay.

Plot

After the death of his daughter Love and his pleas for help are ignored by his god, Rapu, Gorr is called to the god-killing weapon the Necrosword and uses it to kill Rapu, vowing to kill all gods.

Elsewhere, Thor parts ways with the Guardians of the Galaxy after receiving a distress signal from Sif. Upon arrival, a beaten Sif warns Thor of Gorr and that his next target is New Asgard. Dr. Jane Foster, Thor's ex-girlfriend who is diagnosed with terminal cancer arrives at New Asgard in hopes of seeking medical treatment. Thor's destroyed hammer Mjolnir reforges and bonds itself to Foster after years earlier Thor had unknowingly enchanted it to protect her. Thor arrives in New Asgard just as Gorr starts attacking the town with shadow creatures. He is surprised to find Foster with Mjolnir but nevertheless teams up with her, Valkyrie and Korg to fight Gorr. The group thwarts Gorr, but he escapes, kidnapping several Asgardian children.

The group travels to Omnipotent City to warn the other gods and ask for their help. The Olympian god Zeus is unwilling to help and has Thor captured, forcing the group to fight off Zeus's men. Zeus injures Korg; in anger, Thor impales Zeus with his own thunderbolt, which Valkyrie steals during their escape. They then travel to the Shadow Realm to save the children. However, this turned out to be a ruse for Gorr to take Stormbreaker, which he intends to use on the Bifrost to enter Eternity and ask for the destruction of all gods. Gorr manages to overpower Thor's group and successfully steal Stormbreaker. Gorr uses Stormbreaker to open the portal to Eternity. Valkyrie is badly injured and Foster ends the battle drained by her use of Mjolnir, with one more such use likely to hasten her death from cancer. Thor, therefore, goes alone, imbuing the kidnapped Asgardian children and their weapons with the power of Thor to fight alongside him. Foster joins Thor in fighting Gorr and destroys the Necrosword.

Admitting defeat, Thor manages to convince Gorr that all he wanted from Eternity was not to destroy the gods but to get his daughter Love back. Foster succumbs to her illness and dies in Thor's arms. Eternity allows Gorr's request to revive Love, whom he asks Thor to take care of before he dies from the effects of the Necrosword. The children return to New Asgard, where Valkyrie and Sif begin training them. Meanwhile, Thor, now in possession of Mjolnir again, continues to go on adventures to help people, with Love, now wielding Stormbreaker, by his side.

In a mid-credits scene, a recuperating Zeus sends his son Hercules to kill Thor. In a post-credits scene, Foster arrives at the gates of Valhalla, where Heimdall welcomes her.

Cast

• Chris Hemsworth as Thor:
  An Avenger and the former king of Asgard, based on the Norse mythological deity of the same name. Director Taika Waititi said that Thor is going through a midlife crisis in the film, as he is "just trying to figure out his purpose, trying to figure out exactly who he is and why he's a hero or whether he should be a hero". Hemsworth's twin sons Sasha and Tristan portray Thor as a child.
• Christian Bale as Gorr the God Butcher:
  A scarred galactic killer who seeks the extinction of the gods and wields a "strange and terrifying" sword. Waititi described Gorr as being "very formidable" and layered. Bale felt the character had a "sort of a Nosferatu slight attitude", and took inspiration from the Aphex Twin music video for "Come to Daddy" (1997). Waititi opted to change Gorr's facial features in the film since his original look in the comics resembles Lord Voldemort from the Harry Potter film series.
• Tessa Thompson as Valkyrie:
  The king of New Asgard, based on the mythological being Brynhildr. Thompson and producer Kevin Feige said the character's bisexuality would be addressed in the film. Waititi said Valkyrie had to adjust to the bureaucratic aspects of ruling, away from the battlefield, such as dealing with the infrastructure and economy of New Asgard and hosting delegates from other countries.
• Jaimie Alexander as Sif: An Asgardian warrior and Thor's childhood friend, based on the Norse mythological deity of the same name.
• Taika Waititi as Korg: A Kronan gladiator who befriended Thor.
• Russell Crowe as Zeus: The king of the Olympians, based on the Greek mythological deity of the same name.
• Natalie Portman as Jane Foster / Mighty Thor:
  An astrophysicist and Thor's ex-girlfriend who is undergoing cancer treatment while becoming the superhero the Mighty Thor, gaining a costume and powers similar to Thor's due to wielding a reconstructed version of his hammer Mjolnir. Portman, who did not appear in the previous film Thor: Ragnarok (2017), agreed to return after a meeting with Waititi, who said Foster's return to Thor's life after eight years would be a big adjustment for him since she has had another life without him. Waititi added that Foster showing up dressed like Thor would be a "real mindfuck" for him.

Additionally, the Guardians of the Galaxy are featured in the film, with Chris Pratt, Pom Klementieff, Dave Bautista, Karen Gillan, Vin Diesel, Bradley Cooper, and Sean Gunn reprising their respective MCU roles as Peter Quill / Star-Lord, Mantis, Drax the Destroyer, Nebula, Groot, Rocket, and Kraglin Obfonteri. Matt Damon, Sam Neill, and Luke Hemsworth reprise their roles as Asgardian actors respectively playing Loki, Odin, and Thor, with Melissa McCarthy joining them as an actress playing Hela, and McCarthy's husband Ben Falcone as the stage manager. Stephen Murdoch voices Miek. Returning cast from the Thor franchise are Kat Dennings and Stellan Skarsgard as Foster's colleagues Darcy Lewis and Erik Selvig, respectively, and Idris Elba as Heimdall in the post-credits scene, with Daley Pearson reprising his role from the Team Thor series as Daryl, now working as a tour guide in New Asgard.

Simon Russell Beale appears as the Olympian god Dionysus, while Akosia Sabet appears as the goddess Bast. Jonathan Brugh, who plays Deacon in Waititi's 2014 film What We Do in the Shadows, appears as one of the gods in the film. Kieron L. Dyer plays Axl, Heimdall's son, Hemsworth's daughter, India, portrays Love, Gorr's daughter, Hemsworth's wife Elsa Pataky appears as the wolf woman, and Portman and Waititi's children portray New Asgard children. Singer Jenny Morris appears as a New Asgard citizen. Brett Goldstein appears as Zeus' son Hercules in the mid-credits scene.

Jeff Goldblum and Peter Dinklage were both set to reprise their respective roles as Grandmaster from Thor: Ragnarok and Eitri from Avengers: Infinity War (2018), but their scenes were cut from the theatrical release. Lena Headey was also set to appear in the film, but her scenes were also removed.

Production

Development

Shortly after the release of the third Thor film, Thor: Ragnarok, in November 2017, that film's director Taika Waititi and executives from Marvel Studios met to discuss ideas for another film, which was green-lit following the positive responses to Ragnarok. Chris Hemsworth indicated in January 2018 that he was interested in continuing to play Thor in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), despite his contract with Marvel Studios being set to end with his role in Avengers: Endgame (2019). By then, Hemsworth and Waititi had discussed what they would want in a potential fourth Thor film, and Hemsworth said a month later that he would consider returning if there was "another great script". Tessa Thompson, who plays Valkyrie in the MCU films, believed in April 2019 that a pitch had been made for a Ragnarok sequel that involved Waititi returning. Hemsworth said then that he would continue to play Thor for as long as possible, crediting Waititi with revitalizing his interest in the role after he became exhausted and underwhelmed with it prior to making Ragnarok.

In July 2019, Waititi officially signed on to write and direct a fourth Thor film, with Hemsworth expected to reprise his role. Waititi was not interested in repeating what they did with Ragnarok, instead wanting to do "something more interesting for myself to keep the whole thing ignited and to make sure that I'm feeling creatively stimulated". Later that month, at San Diego Comic-Con, Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige announced the film as Thor: Love and Thunder, with a release date of November 5, 2021. Hemsworth and Thompson were confirmed to be returning along with Natalie Portman, reprising her role of Jane Foster from Thor (2011) and Thor: The Dark World (2013). Portman agreed to return to the franchise, after her character was not included in Ragnarok, following a single meeting with Waititi, who was given creative freedom from Marvel Studios to reimagine her role in the film, in which he offered to portray the character in a different and fresh way, with a "license to be adventurous and fun and funny". Thompson and Feige added that Valkyrie's bisexuality would be addressed in the sequel, retroactively making her Marvel Studios' first LGBTQ superhero. Marvel Studios executive Brad Winderbaum was producing the film alongside Feige. Hemsworth, who also serves as an executive producer on Love and Thunder, was paid $20 million to star in the film, an increase from the $15 million salary he earned for each of his appearances in Ragnarok, Avengers: Infinity War (2018), and Endgame.

Don Harwin, the Minister for the Arts for the Australian state of New South Wales, announced at the end of July that Thor: Love and Thunder would be filmed at Fox Studios Australia in Sydney back-to-back with Marvel Studios' Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021), with work set to begin on Love and Thunder there in March 2020 ahead of an August 2020 filming start. The production was set to receive over AU$24 million (US$18 million) of subsidies from the Australian and New South Wales governments. Marvel Studios vice president David Grant said shooting the two films back-to-back would provide continuous employment for local crews, with Love and Thunder expected to generate over AU$178 million (US$134 million) for the local economy. He added that the studio would work with "local educational institutions in creating internship opportunities". Jeff Goldblum said in August 2019 that there was a chance he could reprise his Ragnarok role of the Grandmaster in the sequel, and Waititi confirmed in October that he would be reprising his own role of Korg from Ragnarok and Endgame.

Christian Bale entered talks to join the cast in January 2020, with pre-production expected to begin in April. Thompson confirmed a month later that Bale would star as the villain in the film, while Vin Diesel, who voices Groot in the MCU films, said he had discussed the film with Waititi and had been told the Guardians of the Galaxy would be appearing in it. In early April, Disney shifted much of their Phase Four slate of films due to the COVID-19 pandemic, moving Thor: Love and Thunder's release date to February 18, 2022. Pre-production on the film was delayed due to the pandemic, with Waititi unsure when production would continue. At the end of the month, Disney moved the release date up to February 11, 2022. By July, filming was set to start in early 2021.

Writing

When announcing the film in July 2019, Waititi said it would adapt elements from Jason Aaron's Mighty Thor comic books by having Foster become a hero called the Mighty Thor. Feige said the film would include a lot of elements from Marvel comics, and the storyline of Foster becoming the Mighty Thor would be an important part, explaining that Marvel considered the Mighty Thor run to be one of the best recent comic books. Waititi read the comic while working on Ragnarok, and when he agreed to direct another Thor film he told Marvel that he wanted to include Foster as the Mighty Thor. The studio agreed to adapt Aaron's storyline and include Portman following discussions with Waititi about where the story could lead. Waititi said they stuck close to Foster's storyline from those comics and tried to adapt its best parts. He also explained that Thor having his axe Stormbreaker and then seeing his hammer Mjolnir return "in the hands of someone else" and "no longer his hammer" would explore "the idea that someone's taking his place", which he felt some fans assumed would occur, but did not believe this as such. A. C. Bradley, the head writer of the animated series What If...?, pitched an episode of that series in which Foster would have become Thor, but the idea was rejected because the storyline was already being used for Love and Thunder.

In August, Waititi was reported to have completed a script for the film, but he denied this later that month. While promoting his film Jojo Rabbit in October, Waititi said he had completed the first draft of the screenplay, but the story would change throughout filming and editing. He was unsure if the film would include the storyline from Aaron's run in which Foster suffers from breast cancer, which he said was a powerful part of the comics. Portman later said Foster's treatment from cancer would be explored in the film. Waititi added that Marvel was still discussing how much time would pass between Endgame and Love and Thunder, and that this would affect whether Thor is still carrying the extra weight he is depicted with in Endgame, which earned him the nicknames "Fat Thor" and "Bro Thor". Waititi did note that he wanted to "keep changing it up with Thor. He's so interesting when he's changing all the time." The film is set eight years after Thor and Foster broke up, around 2024. Waititi also acknowledged fans "shipping" Valkyrie with Carol Danvers / Captain Marvel but said he did not intend to include a romantic relationship between the pair because he would rather surprise fans than do something by popular demand. Jennifer Kaytin Robinson was hired to work on the film's screenplay with Waititi in February 2020. Waititi received sole screenplay credit on the film's theatrical poster, with Robinson credited with him for the story, before the final credits from the Writers Guild of America credited both Waititi and Robinson as the film's writers.

Thor: Love and Thunder follows Thor as he attempts to find inner peace, but must return to action and recruit Valkyrie, Korg, and Foster to stop Gorr the God Butcher from eliminating all gods. Four or five drafts of the screenplay had been completed by mid-April 2020, when Waititi said the sequel was "so over the top now in the very best way" and would make Ragnarok look like a "run of the mill, very safe film" by doubling down on its crazier aspects. He wanted to up the ante and make the film as if "10-year-olds told us what should be in a movie and we said yes to every single thing." Waititi added that the film would explore more of Korg's Kronan culture and indicated that it would include the Space Sharks alien race from the comics. He expressed interest in featuring the character Beta Ray Bill, but was unsure at that point if he would. The film also features Falligar the Behemoth, one of the gods slain by Gorr, and Thor's magical goats Toothgnasher and Toothgrinder, based on the Norse mythological animals Tanngrisnir and Tanngnjóstr.

At the end of July, Waititi said they had been writing the script off and on for over a year and he was taking another pass on it that week. He said it was very romantic, and explained that he wanted to make a romance film because he wanted to make something that he had not done before, and, as such, wrote the film as a love story. He later said the film was "about love, with superheroes and outer space", and that he wanted to "embrace this thing that I was always a bit dismissive of, and explore this idea of love, and show characters who do believe in love". That October, Hemsworth said Waititi was still writing the script and expressed his excitement for doing something drastically different with his character, as he did in his previous three MCU films. Waititi later described Love and Thunder as the craziest film he had ever made and explained that each element was intended to not make sense. He said it would have its own "distinct flavour" from Ragnarok, which he called a 1970s space opera with a festive, party-like tone. He saw this film as a 1980s adventure, taking inspiration from posters for films such as Conan the Barbarian (1982) and The Beastmaster (1982) as well as art seen on vans in Venice Beach, with the works of Jack Kirby and the cover of "old" Mills & Boon romance novels also serving as "visual touchstones" for the film. He said it was not serious or dramatic, but it did explore themes such as love, loss, and "our place in the world" while making the characters ask themselves the questions: "What is your purpose? What is the reason that you're a hero, and what do you do when you have these powers?"

James Gunn, the writer and director of the three Guardians of the Galaxy films, consulted on how the Guardians characters were used in Love and Thunder, with Gunn and Waititi discussing where the characters were going before Waititi began writing. Waititi read Gunn's script for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023), which is set after Love and Thunder, and then Gunn read Waititi's script and shared his thoughts, asking for some adjustments to be made. In January 2021, Gunn said the Guardians were "in great hands" with Waititi, and he later praised Waititi's work on the script. Chris Pratt said Love and Thunder would continue the rivalry between Guardians leader Peter Quill / Star-Lord and Thor that was established in Infinity War and Endgame, while Karen Gillan said Waititi brought out the "bonkers side" of Nebula through her "pure aggression".

Pre-production

Pre-production began in Australia by October 2020. A month later, Chris Pratt was revealed to be reprising his role as Guardians of the Galaxy leader Peter Quill / Star-Lord. Given the ensemble nature of the cast, industry insiders described the film as feeling like "Avengers 5". In December, Feige revealed that the film's release was delayed again, this time to May 6, 2022, and he announced that Bale would portray Gorr the God Butcher in the film. Jaimie Alexander was also revealed to be reprising her MCU role, returning as Sif from the first two Thor films, alongside other members and allies of the Guardians of the Galaxy: Pom Klementieff as Mantis, Dave Bautista as Drax the Destroyer, Karen Gillan as Nebula, and Sean Gunn as Kraglin Obfonteri; Gunn also provides on set reference for Guardians member Rocket. Matt Damon was set to appear, after making a cameo appearance in Ragnarok as an Asgardian actor playing Loki. He received special permission to enter Australia, despite the country's strict travel restrictions during the pandemic, since Love and Thunder was providing jobs for Australians. This prompted criticism as it was perceived that Damon, who traveled with his family, received preferential treatment to enter when many Australian nationals abroad were unable to return to the country. Sam Neill—who appeared alongside Damon in Ragnarok as an actor playing Odin—said there was a good chance he would be in the film as well, as long as he could travel from New Zealand to Australia during the pandemic.

Filming

Principal photography began on January 26, 2021, at Fox Studios Australia in Sydney, under the working title The Big Salad. Barry "Baz" Idoine serves as the cinematographer, after previously working with Waititi on The Mandalorian. Filming was delayed from an initial August 2020 start date due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Industrial Light & Magic provided the same StageCraft virtual production technology used on the Disney+ Star Wars series The Mandalorian, which Waititi directed an episode of, creating a custom volume space at Fox Studios Australia. It featured more LED panels and offered a higher resolution than the original volume created for The Mandalorian. Waititi also used Satellite Lab's PlateLight technology (after previously using their Dynamiclight technology on Ragnarok), which is a special rig designed to capture multiple lighting set-ups simultaneously within a single shot at a high frame rate, allowing Waititi to select which lighting set up he would like in post-production. Waititi believed he was able to shoot Love and Thunder more efficiently than Ragnarok due to already having experience working on a Marvel Studios film.

Filming occurred at Centennial Park in Sydney in early February, with Klementieff, Gillan, Bautista, and Pratt completing their scenes shortly afterward. In early March, set photos revealed Damon and Neill were reprising their roles as the Asgardian actors playing Loki and Odin, along with Luke Hemsworth in his Ragnarok role as the actor playing Thor. Melissa McCarthy was also revealed to be portraying an actress playing Hela alongside her husband Ben Falcone in an undisclosed role; these cameos were for a sequence where actors reenact scenes from Ragnarok. Damon filmed his part over two days. Alexander completed filming her scenes by the end of the month, while Goldblum was confirmed to appear as the Grandmaster, and Russell Crowe was revealed to be portraying Zeus in what was described as a "fun cameo". Crowe finished filming his scenes in April. At the beginning of May, Waititi said there were four weeks left of shooting, while Idoine said he would continue work on the film through the end of 2021. Filming wrapped on June 1, 2021, by which point Neill had revealed that singer Jenny Morris would appear in the film. Goldblum and Peter Dinklage, who was set to reprise his role as Eitri from Infinity War, had their scenes cut from the theatrical release, as did Lena Headey, who was approached by Waititi for a role in the film.

Post-production

Waititi said in early June 2021 that post-production would be completed by February 2022. Later in June, Diesel was confirmed to be reprising his voice role as Groot. In October 2021, the film's release date was delayed to July 8, 2022, while Simon Russell Beale was revealed to be appearing. Additional photography for the film took place in early 2022. At the start of March, further reshoots were revealed to be happening "in the coming weeks", and were said to have begun with Bale by the week of March 18. With the release of the teaser trailer in April, Bradley Cooper was confirmed to be reprising his voice role as Rocket, and the following month, Akosia Sabet was revealed to be appearing as the goddess Bast.

Visual effects for the film were created by Wētā FX, Rising Sun Pictures, Framestore, Industrial Light & Magic, Method Studios, Luma Pictures, Raynault VFX, Base FX, EDI Effetti Digitali Italiani, Mammal Studios, Fin Design + Effects, and Cinesite. Matthew Schmidt, Peter S. Elliot, Tim Roche, and Jennifer Vecchiarello serve as the film's editors.

Music

In December 2021, Michael Giacchino revealed that he would be scoring the film; he previously scored Doctor Strange (2016) and the MCU Spider-Man trilogy for Marvel Studios, as well as Waititi's previous film Jojo Rabbit (2019). A soundtrack album, featuring Giacchino's original themes along with the score composed by him and Nami Melumad, was released by Hollywood Records and Marvel Music on July 6, 2022. The single "Mama's Got a Brand New Hammer", the film's main suite, was released on June 30.

Waititi wanted the music to reflect the same aesthetic of the film with its "bombastic, loud, colorful palette". "Sweet Child o' Mine" by Guns N' Roses is featured in the film, given Guns N' Roses is one of Waititi's favorite bands, and helped "reflect the sort of crazy adventure that we're presenting"; the song was also used in the film's marketing. The film features the song "Rainbow in the Dark" by Dio, according to Wendy Dio, widow of band member Ronnie James Dio.

Marketing

Lego sets and Hasbro figures based on the film were revealed in February 2022, with additional Lego sets and Funko Pops revealed that April. The teaser trailer was released on April 18, and commentators discussed its ending which debuted Portman's Foster in the Mighty Thor costume and wielding a restored version of Thor's hammer Mjolnir. Marco Vito Oddo of Collider and Ryan Parker from The Hollywood Reporter highlighted the use of "Sweet Child o' Mine", which Oddo felt indicated Waititi would "keep the hard rock aesthetics that helped Thor: Ragnarok become a huge success", while Parker called it a "bright, stylish, fun trailer sets a tone for the film in true Taika Waititi form". Justin Harp of Digital Spy felt the humor from Ragnarok was "clearly back in this film too", while Tom Power of TechRadar felt the trailer was a "superhero, intergalactic glam rock feast for the senses" and contained intriguing footage that did a good job of teasing the film. Both The Ringer's Daniel Chin and Empire's Sophie Butcher highlighted the trailer's focus on Thor's journey of self-discovery as well as the lack of footage of Christian Bale's Gorr. Chin remarked that the trailer was "dedicated to catching up with Thor as he rediscovers himself", and was excited for Portman's performance as Foster. He thought the trailer was a "far cry from the Thor we witnessed over a decade ago, as the franchise has transformed into a full-blown space comedy". Butcher felt the trailer's introspection was not surprising due to the film being set after Endgame, and said the trailer was brief but exciting. The trailer had 209 million global views in its first 24 hours, becoming the seventh most viewed trailer in that time period.

A second trailer was released on May 23, during Game 4 of the 2022 NBA Eastern Conference Finals. Many commentators highlighted Christian Bale's appearance as Gorr the God Butcher in the trailer. Eric Francisco of Inverse noted the similar comedic tone from Ragnarok while adding "some darker shades" with the inclusion of Gorr. He said Bale brought an "absolutely terrifying vision of Gorr the God Butcher to the screen", adding that it appears Hemsworth was ready to pass the mantle of Thor to Portman. Jennifer Ouellette of Ars Technica noted that Gorr's scenes featured a different color palette, being shown in "primarily gray tones", which she felt made the contrast between other characters "more stark". Zach Seemayer from Entertainment Tonight felt that it "gives fans everything they've been hoping for from the brief flashes of important moments from the first trailer in April", citing scenes featuring Portman's the Mighty Thor, Thor "living up to his 'Space Viking' title", and Gorr's footage. Similarly, The A.V. Club's Sam Barsanti and William Hughes also highlighted Portman and Hemsworth's Thor, Gorr's appearance, in addition to noting other comedic moments in the trailer, such as when Thor is nude after Russell Crowe's Zeus exposes his disguise. Scott Mendelson of Forbes called the trailer "the real deal" compared to the teaser, and noted similarities with the Masters of the Universe franchise. He speculated that Thor and Foster would be "pining" for each other despite it being 11 years after their first encounter, and called it "a little depressing", as he hoped the two "A+ dating specimens would have moved on". He also highlighted how Gorr's scenes played with color and contrast, and the "interplay" between Foster and Valkyrie. Footage from the film was also featured in the 2022 CineEurope presentation.

Release

Thor: Love and Thunder premiered at the El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood on June 23, 2022. The film was theatrically released in Australia on July 6, 2022, in the United Kingdom, Ireland, and New Zealand on July 7, and in the United States on July 8, 2022, in 4DX, RealD 3D, IMAX, ScreenX, and Dolby Cinema. It was previously set for release on November 5, 2021, but was delayed to February 18, 2022, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It was then moved up a week to February 11 once Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness was rescheduled from November 2021 to March 2022, and delayed once again to May 6, 2022, in December 2020, before shifting to the July 2022 date in October 2021. It is part of Phase Four of the MCU.

Reception

Box office

As of July 8, 2022, Thor: Love and Thunder has grossed $29 million in the United States and Canada and $48.6 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $77.6 million.

In the United States and Canada, the film is projected to gross $140–167 million in its opening weekend, along with a total gross of $345–420 million. The film made $29 million from Thursday night previews, the second best of 2022 (behind Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness) and fifth-best for an MCU title.

Outside the United States and Canada, Love and Thunder grossed $15.7 million from 17 markets on its opening day, surpassing the first-day overall results of Thor: Ragnarok (2017) by 39% but falling behind Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022) by 24%. The film had the best opening-day box office in South Korea with $3.1 million, becoming the fifth-highest released in the country during the pandemic. It earned $3 million on its opening day in Australia, becoming the fifth-highest all-time opening day for an MCU film released in the country.

Critical response

The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported an approval rating of 68%, with an average rating of 6.6/10, based on 304 reviews. The site's critics consensus reads: "In some ways, Thor: Love and Thunder feels like Ragnarok redux -- but overall, it offers enough fast-paced fun to make this a worthy addition to the MCU." On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 58 out of 100, based on 59 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B+" on an A+ to F scale.

Owen Gleiberman of Variety said there are "many words to describe ", stating "comedy is all part of the package" that made Ragnarok "such a genuine Marvel wildflower." Gleiberman wrote that the film "sustains its freshness" to the end, although it started with a "more awkward" first act with the Guardians of the Galaxy. He also praised Gorr's characterization–a "power"–and concluded the review by saying he felt "moved" by the end. David Ehrlich of IndieWire praised the film for its light tone and humorous moments, writing that " Waititi continues to brighten up the Thor movies with his own flavor of wackiness, which is as welcome here as it was grating in Jojo Rabbit." He did add that the film "is clouded by its uncertain place in the universe from the moment it starts." Nick Allen at RogerEbert.com gave the film 3 out of 5 stars, feeling that it was a "more or less a victory lap for all that achieved with his previous Marvel film, the often hilarious, rousing, and plainly refreshing Thor: Ragnarok. And while it has too many familiar flourishes and jokes, this entertaining sequel is still a force for good, with enough visual ambition and heart in front of and behind the camera to stand on its own." He praised Portman's performance that "conveys why it's great to see Jane again" and Bale's "striking" role that he considered as the "closest we’ll get to seeing him play Pennywise the Clown, with a dash of Voldemort, but tethered to the same humility brings to his most human, humbled characters."

Todd Gilchrist at The A.V. Club graded the film 'B', feeling that it did " the cheeky, sentimental tone of the nearly universally beloved Thor: Ragnarok, and propels its eponymous hero into new adventures that bring full circle a journey that started with the very first, much-less-beloved Thor back in 2011." He praised Natalie Portman and Christian Bale's performances, with the latter's character being considered "the most interesting and sympathetic Marvel adversary since Michael B. Jordan's Killmonger in Black Panther", and Waititi's "distinctive imagery that may disturb and upset some viewers", outpacing Sam Raimi's accomplishments in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022). Leah Greenblatt at Entertainment Weekly also gave a similar grade, feeling that if the film had "its cheerful melee of starry cameos, in-jokes, and Cliffs-Notes mythology, feels a lot like franchise fatigue, it also has frequent moments of gonzo charm, thanks largely to the Technicolor lunacy of writer-director Taika Waititi and a cast that seems inordinately game to follow his lead."

David Rooney of The Hollywood Reporter stated, "The movie feels weightless, flippant, instantly forgettable, sparking neither love nor thunder." David Sims of The Atlantic felt the film delivered a "usual lightning-streaked action and tossed-off gags, but this time, there's not enough heft behind the flashiness." He found it a "hasty-feeling mess of a movie" and "disappointing given that it’s directed by ", although he praised Bale and Russell Crowe's performances. David Fear of Rolling Stone felt the film was "oddly unengaging; even the love and death aspects often feel like cold transmissions from distant sources." He saw it as a mess due to the "collision of competing tones, subplots, conceptual big swings and chaos masquerading as pathos". Eric Francisco at Inverse found Chris Hemsworth's Thor in the film became "meandering, left in the purgatory of a roundabout tale that makes some sense on paper but in execution fails to maintain viscosity", feeling that Marvel "doesn’t know what to do with anymore." He felt that despite "striv for an emotional story about loss and love, the movie gets in its own way with tiresome relentless comedy, distracted plotting, and uneven tone." Richard Roeper of the Chicago Sun-Times gave the film 2/5 stars, calling it "one of the goofiest and least consequential sagas in MCU history — an allegedly wild and wacky but ultimately disappointing and disjointed chapter in the ongoing story of the God of Thunder, who seems to get more clueless with each passing movie."

Notes

1. Waititi is credited both as a solo writer and as part of a writing team with Robinson.
2. Thor joined the Guardians of the Galaxy in Avengers: Endgame (2019)
3. since its destruction in Thor: Ragnarok (2017)

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External links

• Official website at Marvel.com
• Thor: Love and Thunder at IMDb 

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