Thor: Ragnarok Tracking For Thunderous Opening Weekend Box Office

It seems there will be a warm welcoming committee for Thor: Ragnarok when it hits theaters, and the god of thunder should be quite pleased.

The third entry in the Thor series is tracking for a big opening weekend, estimated to bring in between $90 and $100 million in North America alone (via THR). That is a big upgrade from the original Thor, which brought in $65 million back in 2011 on opening weekend (with a budget of $150 million). Thor: The Dark World upped the budget by $20 million but brought in around that same number more on opening day with a $88 million opening weekend.

If that tracking holds, it will mean the franchise has increased its opening weekend box office performance with each film and bodes well for mirroring that trend in total box office receipts. The original Thor pulled in over $181 million domestically, with a worldwide total of over $449 million.

Thor: The Dark World built on that foundation, surpassing the original with a domestic pull of over $214 million. It also increased it's international total, with a worldwide box office return of over $644 million. Looking at that trend, if Thor: Ragnarok can increase its opening weekend by $10 to $20 million, then its worldwide haul will probably end up somewhere in the high $700 to early $800 million range. Not a bad trajectory for a franchise on its third entry.

Early screenings of the film have been overwhelmingly positive, with most highlighting the film's unique tone and feel, setting it apart from other films in the franchise. The cast has taken note of this as well, including Hela actress Cate Blanchett.

"It's like Chris has harnessed all the energy of the previous films and is using that," Blanchett said. "Then also subverting it, which is really, it was really thrilling to watch so it was really helpful for me to know 'OK, we can stretch it that far."

You can already tell from the trailers that Thor: Ragnarok is a different animal, and that should pay big dividends at the box office later this year.

Thor: Ragnarok hits theaters on November 3rd, 2017.