‘Thor: Ragnarok’ hammers home a win for beleaguered box office

After a slow October, the premiere of Marvel Studios’ “Thor: Ragnarok” reignited the box office like a clap of thunder.

Disney’s big-budget action fantasy brought in an estimated $121 million in the U.S. and Canada, above analysts’ expectations of $115 million, according to figures from measurement firm ComScore.

The third installment in the standalone Thor franchise, “Thor: Ragnarok” had the biggest debut yet, with the seventh-biggest November opening ever and the fourth-best opening of 2017 thus far. The original “Thor,” released by Paramount from Marvel in 2011, premiered with $65 million, and 2013’s “Thor: The Dark World” debuted to $85 million before grossing $645 million worldwide.

The newest entry, starring Chris Hemsworth as the Norse god and directed by New Zealand filmmaker Taika Waititi, has a 93% “fresh” rating from review aggregation site Rotten Tomatoes and an A-rating on audience polling service CinemaScore. New to big-budget blockbusters, Waititi is a veteran of the indie scene with films like “What We Do in the Shadows” and “Hunt for the Wilderpeople.”

“We have over a decades-long connection with Marvel,” said Imax Entertainment CEO Greg Foster. “Fanboys, fangirls, moviegoers and also people who don’t go to every movie but who only go to the big ones know that when Marvel and Imax get together, it’s one of those movies that you can’t wait to see.”

This film marks the 17th consecutive Marvel Cinematic Universe film to debut at no. 1 (out of 17 films) and is Marvel’s eighth opening above $100 million. Combined with an estimated international gross of $306 million, the film’s estimated global gross stands at $427 million.

STX Entertainment’s “A Bad Moms Christmas,” which opened Wednesday, debuted at No. 2.

The R-rated comedy sequel, a follow-up to the 2016 sleeper hit about three mothers who buck the unreasonable expectations of society and their families, grossed $17 million over the weekend and $21.5 million through Sunday, just under analysts’ expectations of $25 million.

The original film starring Mila Kunis, Kathryn Hahn and Kristen Bell opened with $24 million before grossing $113 million domestically. The holiday-themed sequel, which cost $28 million to make, introduces Cheryl Hines, Christine Baranski and Susan Sarandon as the main characters’ mothers.

Burbank-based STX is trying to turn the early success of “Bad Moms” into a full-blown franchise, with a “Bad Dads” spinoff already in the works.

Coming in third was Lionsgate’s “Jigsaw” which earned $6.7 million over the weekend, a 60% drop since last week, for a cumulative gross of $28.8 million.

The eighth installment in the popular “Saw” franchise, the R-rated “Jigsaw” follows, in reviewer Noel Murray’s words, “bad folks stuck in an elaborate torture chamber” and earned an average B rating from CinemaScore and a 31% “rotten” rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

Directed by Michael and Peter Spierig, the film comes seven years after “Saw VII: The Final Chapter,” once intended to wrap the franchise, and 13 years after the first “Saw” film.

“Tyler Perry’s Boo 2! A Madea Halloween,” also by Lionsgate, came in fourth with $4.6 million this weekend, a 54% decline. The film has a cumulative total of $43 million.

Now in its third week, “Boo 2!” garnered mixed reviews from audiences and critics, earning an A-minus rating on CinemaScore and a dismal 6% “rotten” rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

Rounding out the top five was Warner Bros.’ environmental disaster thriller “Geostorm,” also in its third week. It brought in an additional $3 million, a 49% drop since opening, giving it a total of $28.7 million.

The faith-based drama “Let There Be Light” from Atlas Distribution entered the top 10 in its second weekend of release. The film added 269 engagements for a total of 642 theaters nationwide but declined 6% from its opening weekend. Starring Kevin Sorbo and produced by Fox News’ Sean Hannity, it earned an 84% “fresh” rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

In limited release, Vertical Entertainment’s “LBJ” opened in 659 theaters with $1.1 million. Directed by Rob Reiner and starring Woody Harrelson as the 36th president of the United States, the film earned a 51% “rotten” rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

A24’s comedy drama “Lady Bird” debuted with $375,612 in four theaters for an opening weekend per-screen average of $93,903, the year’s best. The film’s opening topped Amazon Studios and Lionsgate’s “The Big Sick,” which opened with $435,000 in five theaters for a per-screen average of $87,000. Written and directed by Greta Gerwig, “Lady Bird” is a coming-of-age story starring Saoirse Ronan and Laurie Metcalf and earned a 100% “fresh” rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

Next week, Paramount opens the comedy sequel “Daddy’s Home 2,” and Fox premieres the thriller “Murder on the Orient Express.” In limited release, Fox Searchlight debuts the dark comedy “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri.”

sonaiya.kelley@latimes.com

follow me on twitter @sonaiyak

UPDATES:

9:50 a.m.: This story has been updated with more box office figures.

This article was originally published at 9:35 a.m.