For a long time Thor had to deal with living in the shadow of the more popular members of The Avengers. That’s not to say he wasn’t a great character, but he just didn’t have that boy scout charm like Captain America, or the iconic wit that Iron Man did, he was just… Thor, that is until his third solo movie, Thor: Ragnarok came around and changed everything we knew about the character.
Whilst Taika Waititi is mostly remembered now for the train wreck that is Love and Thunder, we have to give him credit for revamping Thor as a character, making him much more interesting and finally giving fans a Thor film they could truly enjoy, (although I will admit I enjoyed the first two films.)
The decision to change Thor’s character really helped fans connect with him more and, as a result, the film received glowing reviews, prompting those who were skeptical to give it a watch. Waititi downplayed the stoic Asgardian and cranked up the volume on him being a bumbling klutz with a frat-boy personality. Thor’s personality wasn’t the only thing changed by Waititi. The entire aesthetic of the franchise received a glow-up, from fantasy land to retro eighties.
The hype for this film at the time was pretty unreal, what with the introduction of Hela and plenty of other great characters from the comics. Fans were also expecting to see Hulk, Loki and Doctor Strange, drumming up even more excitement. Basically, this was right at the peak for the MCU; Waititi’s movie was front and center and it delivered the goods.
So how much did Thor: Ragnarok make?
All this is to say that Taika Waititi’s first MCU film had all the right things going for it to make it a success, and a success it was. The film grossed $854 million at the box office which puts it just above Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. That’s pretty impressive considering the relatively lukewarm reception of the previous two solo films. The film raked in money for the studio and the director meaning a sequel was guaranteed.
Of course, the follow-up wasn’t as well received, with many finding themselves disappointed with Love and Thunder despite the film seeing plenty of returning fan faves and another promising villain. That film did relatively well, earning $760 million, but it failed to capture that same lightning that Ragnarok bottled.
