‘Thor’ Outdraws New Films ‘Daddy’s Home,’ ‘Orient Express’

(Bloomberg) -- “Thor: Ragnarok,” Walt Disney Co.’s latest Marvel superhero hit, fended off two new movies to stay the No. 1 weekend film at the domestic box office.

The film starring Chris Hemsworth generated $57.1 million in U.S. and Canadian theaters, researcher ComScore Inc. said Monday in an email. “Daddy’s Home 2” from Paramount Pictures debuted in second place with a higher-than-anticipated $29.7 million, and “Murder on the Orient Express,” a Fox remake of the Agatha Christie mystery, opened in third place with a better-than-expected $28.7 million.

“Thor” will face tougher competition next week when Warner Bros. releases “Justice League,” the DC Comics mashup with Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman and other superheroes. While movie fans at times show they’re tiring of Hollywood sequels, comic-book figures continue to be among the biggest draws.

The most-watched movies this weekend were dominated by sequels and remakes, with projections from Box Office Pro showing seven of 10 falling into that category. They included “A Bad Moms Christmas,” “Jigsaw,” “Tyler Perry’s Boo 2,” and “Blade Runner 2049.”

“Thor,” the third Disney film based on the Marvel character, was expected to take in $57.5 million during its second weekend in domestic theaters, according to Box Office Pro. The film has had sales of $650.1 million worldwide through Nov. 12, according to Disney.

“Daddy’s Home 2” features Will Ferrell, Mark Wahlberg, Mel Gibson and John Lithgow in a sequel to a 2015 film that brought in $242.8 million worldwide for Viacom Inc.’s Paramount film division.

In the new picture, characters played by Ferrell and Wahlberg must contend with having their fathers around during the holidays. The movie was expected to take in $22.5 million, according to Box Office Pro. Critics didn’t like it much: it garnered a 14 percent positive rating at RottenTomatoes.

“Murder on the Orient Express,” from the film unit of 21st Century Fox Inc., was expected to produce sales of $23.8 million, the estimate at Hollywood Stock Exchange. The picture stars an ensemble cast, including Kenneth Branagh, who also directed, and Penelope Cruz. The movie is based on the Christie novel about a detective pulled into a murder mystery on the famous luxury train that traveled between Paris and Istanbul.

RottenTomatoes.com, which distills critics’ reviews into a single number, gave a 62 percent positive rating on the film, which cost about $55 million to make.

--With assistance from Craig Giammona and Mark Niquette

To contact the reporter on this story: Rob Golum in Los Angeles at rgolum@bloomberg.net.

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Crayton Harrison at tharrison5@bloomberg.net, Bruce Rule, Ros Krasny

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