‘Thor: Ragnarok’ Holds Off ‘Daddy’s Home 2’, ‘Murder on the Orient Express’

As expected, last week’s number one held off its challengers. However, both new films in release still performed strongly. Here’s what went down:

Thor: Raganarok remained in the top spot at the box office, bringing in an impressive $56.1 million. Its already grossed more in North American than the first Thor film, and is days away from passing Thor: The Dark World’s take as well. By the time it finishes its domestic run, Thor: Raganarok should be the first film featuring the God of Thunder to break $300 million.

Debuting in second place was Daddy’s Home 2 with a very solid $30 million. Audiences have been enjoying the comedy, even though critics received it poorly. Putting Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg together again was certainly key in turn-out, as was the PG-13 rating that allowed the film to be a family experience.

Right behind Daddy’s Home 2 in third place Murder on the Orient Express with $28.2 million. This is a solid showing as well, especially considering that, while Agatha Christie and the title itself are well known to audiences, this is film that skews towards adults and isn’t a part of any franchise. The names attached (Kenneth Branaugh, Judi Dench, Johnny Depp, Daisy Ridley) definitely helped raise awareness, while the appeal of a big murder mystery didn’t hurt either.

As for the rest of the top five, A Bad Moms Christmas was in fourth place with $11.5 million, while Jigsaw closed things out in fifth place with $3.4 million.

So, to recap, here were our predictions:

1) Thor: Ragnarok -$61 million
2) Murder on the Orient Express – $24 million
3) Daddy’s Home 2 – $22 million
4) A Bad Moms Christmas – $8 million
5) Geostorm – $2.5 million

And here’s how the weekend is estimated to turn out:

1) Thor: Ragnarok -$56.1 million
2) Daddy’s Home 2 – $30 million
3) Murder on the Orient Express – $28.2 million
4) A Bad Moms Christmas – $11.5 million
5) Jigsaw – $3.5 million

Next weekend sees the release of Justice League. Be sure to check back on Friday to see our predictions!