The Marvel Cinematic Universe is entering the fourth phase as the cinema halls gear up for the release of Thor: Love and Thunder. The Chris Hemsworth starrer is touted to be one of the shortest Marvel films till date with an approved runtime of 1 hour and 59 minute. The movie is looking to release in approximately 2800 screens in India in multiple languages i.e. English, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu and Kannada.
The makers have gone ahead with 24*7 screening for the film with shows starting as early as 12.01 am on July 7. In terms of showcount, the movie is releasing with nearly 12,000 shows in India, with a capacity to clock almost Rs 60 crore nett. It's an event film, and the team, as expected, have gone ahead with blockbuster pricing, as it has been the norm with all Disney films. On the advance booking front, the movie is looking to clock a booking of nearly Rs 13.50 crore nett across the country for opening day, nearly Rs 9 crore nett has come from the northern market and Rs 4.50 crore from the southern belt. Thor: Love & Thunder is headed to take an opening in the vicinity of Rs 20 crore, and this has more or less become a norm for Marvel Films due to the loyal fanbase built over the years.
The last three Thor films - Thor, Thor: The Dark World and Thor: Ragnarok, have been well accepted by the Indian audience, and if Love & Thunder manages to reciprocate similar responses from the audience, it would be another winner for the studio in India. While the start seems to be around the Rs 20 crore mark, the business will definitely see a spike on Saturday and Sunday. It won't be surprising if we see the film go up on Friday too, as the Indian market is conventionally known for Friday release, and a mid week release does take a dent on opening day prospects at times.
All in all, an excellent start is on the way for Thor: Love & Thunder, and it is bound to become the highest grossing Thor film in India by the end of the first weekend. In-fact, the start would be the biggest ever by a margin for an Independent Thor film till date in India. The first day biz might be lower than the last Marvel film, Doctor Strange: Multiverse of Madness, and that has got to do with the trailer of Thor, as this one seems to be more in the quirky and romance space, stepping away from the intense zone of action that one resonates with in the MCU. This has been the scenario, not just in India, but globally too, as the horror and thriller element had spiked the hype around Multiverse of Madness, whereas Thor seems to be in the pop corn entertainer space, without much of spoilers. Stay tuned to Pinkvilla for indepth box office coverage of Thor: Love & Thunder in India.