''Thor'' is a 2011 American
superhero film based on the comic book character
of the same name published by
Marvel Comics. It is the fourth film released as part of the
Marvel Cinematic Universe. The film was directed by
Kenneth Branagh, written by
Ashley Edward Miller,
Zack Stentz and
Don Payne, and stars
Chris Hemsworth,
Natalie Portman,
Tom Hiddleston,
Anthony Hopkins and
Stellan Skarsgård. The film tells the story of Thor, a god who is exiled from his homeland of
Asgard to Earth. While there, he builds a relationship with scientist
Jane Foster. However, Thor must stop his brother
Loki, who intends to become the new king of Asgard.
Director Sam Raimi first developed the concept of a film adaptation of ''Thor'' in 2001, but soon abandoned the project, leaving it in "development hell" for several years. During this time, the rights were picked up by various film studios until Marvel Studios signed Mark Protosevich to develop the project in 2006, and the project was set up at Paramount Pictures. Matthew Vaughn was originally assigned to direct the film for a tentative 2010 release. However, after Vaughn was released from his holding deal in 2008, Branagh was approached and the film's release was rescheduled into 2011. The main characters were cast in 2009, and principal photography took place in California and New Mexico from January to May 2010. The film was converted to 3D in post-production.
''Thor'' was released on April 21, 2011 in Australia and on May 6, 2011 in the United States. The film became a financial and critical success, grossing over $448 million worldwide and "Certified Fresh" by the review-aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes. A sequel set for a July 26, 2013 release date is in development.
Plot
In 965 A.D.,
Odin (
Anthony Hopkins), king of
Asgard, wages war against the
Frost Giants of
Jotunheim and their leader
Laufey (
Colm Feore), to prevent them from conquering the
nine realms, starting with Earth. The Asgardian warriors defeat the Frost Giants and seize the source of their power, the
Casket of Ancient Winters.
In the present, Odin's son Thor (Chris Hemsworth) prepares to ascend to the throne of Asgard, but is interrupted when Frost Giants attempt to retrieve the Casket. Against Odin's order, Thor travels to Jotunheim to confront Laufey, accompanied by his brother Loki (Tom Hiddleston), childhood friend Sif (Jaimie Alexander) and the Warriors Three; Volstagg (Ray Stevenson), Fandral (Joshua Dallas) and Hogun (Tadanobu Asano). A battle ensues until Odin intervenes to save the Asgardians, destroying the fragile truce between the two races. For Thor's arrogance, Odin strips his son of his godly power and exiles him to Earth as a mortal, accompanied by his hammer Mjolnir — the source of his power, now protected by an enchantment to allow only the worthy to wield it.
Thor lands in New Mexico, where astrophysicist Jane Foster (Natalie Portman), her assistant Darcy Lewis (Kat Dennings) and mentor Dr. Erik Selvig (Stellan Skarsgård), find him. The local populace finds Mjolnir, which S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Phil Coulson (Clark Gregg) soon commandeers before forcibly acquiring Jane's data about the wormhole that delivered Thor to Earth. Thor, having discovered Mjolnir's nearby location, seeks to retrieve it from the facility that S.H.I.E.L.D. quickly constructed but he finds himself unable to lift it, and is captured. With Selvig's help, he is freed and resigns himself to exile on Earth as he develops a romance with Jane.
Loki discovers he is Laufey's son, adopted by Odin after the war ended. When Odin, overcome with stress, falls into the deep "Odinsleep" that allows him to recuperate, Loki becomes king and offers Laufey the chance to kill Odin and retrieve the Casket. Sif and the Warriors Three, unhappy with Loki's rule, attempt to return Thor from exile, convincing Heimdall (Idris Elba), gatekeeper of the Bifröst - the means of traveling between worlds - to allow them passage to Earth. Aware of their plan, Loki sends the Destroyer, a seemingly indestructible automaton, to pursue them and kill Thor. The warriors find Thor, but the Destroyer attacks and defeats them, prompting Thor to offer himself instead. Struck by the Destroyer and near death, Thor's sacrifice proves him worthy to wield Mjolnir. The hammer returns to him, restoring his powers and enabling him to defeat the Destroyer. Kissing Jane goodbye and vowing to return, he and his fellow Asgardians return to confront Loki.
In Asgard, Loki betrays and kills Laufey, revealing his true plan to use Laufey's attempt on Odin's life as an excuse to destroy Jotunheim with the Bifröst Bridge, thus proving himself worthy to his father. Thor arrives and fights Loki before destroying the Bifröst Bridge to stop Loki's plan, stranding himself in Asgard. Odin awakens and prevents the brothers from falling into the abyss created in the wake of the bridge's destruction, but Loki allows himself to fall. Thor makes amends with Odin, admitting he is not ready to be king, while on Earth, Jane and her team search for a way to open a portal to Asgard.
In a post-credits scene, Selvig has been taken to a S.H.I.E.L.D. facility, where Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) asks him to study a glowing cube-shaped device, which Fury says may hold untold power. Loki, invisible, whispers to Selvig to agree, which he does.
Cast
Chris Hemsworth as Thor:
:The god of thunder based on the
Norse mythological deity of the
same name. Director
Kenneth Branagh and Marvel Studios chief
Kevin Feige chose Hemsworth after a back-and-forth process in which the 27-year-old actor was initially dropped from consideration and then given a second chance to read for the part. Hemsworth stated that he gained 20 pounds for the role by eating non-stop and revealed that "It wasn't until ''Thor'' that I started lifting weights, it was all pretty new to me". Regarding his take of the character, Hemsworth said, "We just kept trying to humanize it all, and keep it very real. Look into all the research about the comic books that we could, but also bring it back to 'Who is this guy as a person, and what's his relationship with people in the individual scenes? About approaching Thor's fighting style, he remarked, "First, we looked at the comic books and the posturing, the way [Thor] moves and fights, and a lot of his power seems to be drawn up through the ground. We talked about boxers, you know,
Mike Tyson, very low to the ground and big open chest and big shoulder swings and very sort of brutal but graceful at the same time, and then as we shot stuff things became easier".
Natalie Portman as Jane Foster:
:A scientist and Thor's love interest. Marvel Studios stated in an announcement that the character was updated from the comics' initial portrayal for the feature adaptation. When asked why she took the role, Portman replied, "I just thought it sounded like a weird idea because Kenneth Branagh's directing it, so I was just like, 'Kenneth Branagh doing ''Thor'' is super-weird, I've gotta do it. Portman also stated that she really wanted to do a big effects movie that emphasized character, and getting to do it with Branagh was a new way of approaching it, relative to ''
Star Wars''. Regarding her preparation for the role Portman remarked, "I signed on to do it before there was a script. And Ken, who's amazing, who is so incredible, was like, 'You can really help create this character'. I got to read all of these biographies of female scientists like
Rosalind Franklin who actually discovered the
DNA double helix but didn't get the credit for it. The struggles they had and the way that they thought – I was like, 'What a great opportunity, in a very big movie that is going to be seen by a lot of people, to have a woman as a scientist'. She's a very serious scientist. Because in the comic she's a nurse and now they made her an
astrophysicist. Really, I know it sounds silly, but it is those little things that makes girls think it's possible. It doesn't give them a [role] model of 'Oh, I just have to dress cute in movies'".
Tom Hiddleston as Loki:
:Thor's adoptive brother and nemesis based on the deity of the
same name. Hiddleston was chosen after previously working with Branagh on ''
Ivanov'' and ''
Wallander''. Initially Hiddleston auditioned to play Thor but Branagh decided his talent would be better harnessed playing Loki. Hiddleston stated that "Loki's like a comic book version of
Edmund in ''
King Lear'', but nastier". Hiddleston also stated that he had to keep a strict diet before the start of filming because "Ken [Branagh] wants Loki to have a lean and hungry look, like
Cassius in ''
Julius Caesar''. Physically, he can't be posing as Thor". Hiddleston looked at
Peter O'Toole as inspiration for Loki as well explaining, "Interestingly enough, [Kenneth Branagh] said to look at Peter O'Toole in two specific films, ''
The Lion in Winter'' and ''
Lawrence of Arabia''. What's interesting about ... his performance [as King Henry] is you see how damaged he is. There's a rawness [to his performance]; it's almost as if he's living with a layer of skin peeled away. He's grandiose and teary and, in a moment, by turns hilarious and then terrifying. What we wanted was that emotional volatility. It's a different acting style, it's not quite the same thing, but it's fascinating to go back and watch an actor as great as O'Toole head for those great high hills".
Anthony Hopkins as Odin:
:The ruler of Asgard, father of Thor, and adoptive father of Loki, based on the mythological deity of the
same name. In an interview Hopkins stated he knew nothing of the comic. About the film he said, "It's a superhero movie, but with a bit of
Shakespeare thrown in". Hopkins stated, "I'm very interested in that relationship between fathers and sons", and that, "My father's relationship with me was cold. He was a hot-blood character but to me, cold. When I was young, he expressed his disappointment because I was bad in school and all of that. He didn't mean any harm, but I felt I could never meet up to his expectations." Hopkins also expressed that he finds a personal resonance in the Odin role, saying, "He's a stern man. He's a man with purpose. I play the god who banishes his son from the kingdom of Asgard because he screwed up. He's a hot-headed, temperamental young man... probably a chip off of the old block but I decide he's not really ready to rule the future kingdom, so I banish him. I'm harsh and my wife complains and I say, 'That is why I'm king.' He's ruthless, take-it-or-leave-it. Women are much more forgiving; men are not so forgiving. I know in my life, my karma is, 'If you don't like it, tough, move on.' And I move on. I'm a little like Odin myself".
Stellan Skarsgård as Erik Selvig:
:A scientist doing research in New Mexico who encounters Thor. Skarsgård stated that he was not initially familiar with Thor. As to why he took the part, Skarsgård remarked, I "chose ''Thor'' because of [director] Kenneth Branagh. The script was nice and we got to rehearse and talk to the writers and do some collaborating in the process to make it fit us. So I had a very happy time on it. What I always try to do is immediately do something I just haven't done so I get variation in my life. I've made about 90 films and if I did the same thing over and over again I would be bored by now. I try to pick different films, I go and do those big ones and having done that I can usually afford to go and do some really small obscure films and experiment a little".
Kat Dennings as Darcy Lewis:
:A co-worker of Jane Foster. Dennings described her character as Foster's "little helper
gnome". Dennings also stated that her role was expanded during the rehearsal process. Dennings explained, "She's kind of like a cute, clueless, little puppy or maybe a hamster. There wasn't much on the page for the Darcy role to begin with and I didn't even see a script before I took the job so I didn't really know who Darcy was at first. But she really evolved — she's so much fun now even. She's very
Scooby-Doo if that makes sense. She's always three steps behind and reacting to what's happening with these great expressions ... She gets things wrong and doesn't care."
Idris Elba as Heimdall:
:The all-seeing, all-hearing Asgardian sentry of the
bifröst bridge, based on the mythological deity of the
same name. Elba said Branagh's involvement was a major incentive to take the role: "[Branagh] called me up personally and said, 'I know this isn't a big role, but I would really love to see you play it.' It's Kenneth Branagh. I was like, 'Definitely'". About the role Elba remarked, "I did green screen for the first time! I wouldn't like to do a whole movie of green screen, though. You kind of forget the plot a little—like being in a Broadway play and doing it over and over and forgetting your line halfway through". Elba stated he has made a four-picture commitment with Marvel Studios. Elba's casting prompted a proposed boycott by the
Council of Conservative Citizens and a debate amongst comic book fans, some insisting it was wrong for a black man to play a Nordic god. In response Elba called the debate "ridiculous".
Colm Feore as Laufey:
:King of the
Frost Giants and Loki's biological father, based on the mythological being of the
same name. Feore stated it took five hours for his makeup to be applied. About his character Feore remarked, "I am the King of Frost Giants. And if you've seen any of the Frost Giants, you know that I am, of course, the
Napoleon of Frost Giants. We've got some massive, fabulous guys who dwarf me and come in at around eight-and-a-half feet, nine feet. But, no. Can't you tell by the commanding presence? I am the boss".
Ray Stevenson as Volstagg:
:A member of the
Warriors Three; a group of three Asgardian adventurers who are among Thor's closest comrades, known for both his hearty appetite and wide girth. Stevenson previously worked with Kenneth Branagh in the 1998 film ''
The Theory of Flight'', and with Marvel Studios as the titular character in ''
Punisher: War Zone''. Stevenson wore a
fat suit for the role, stating, "I've tried the suit on, and what they've done is kind of sex him up: he's sort of slimmer but rounder.". Stevenson said, "He's got every bit of that
Falstaffian verve and vigor, and a bit of a beer gut to suggest that enormous appetite, but he's not the sort of
Weeble-shaped figure he is in the comics. He's Falstaff with muscles. I've got this amazing foam-injected undersuit that flexes with me.".
Tadanobu Asano as Hogun:
:A member of the Warriors Three, primarily identified by his grim demeanor and as the only member who is not an
Æsir. Ray Stevenson said of Asano's character, "He doesn't speak much but when he does, everybody shuts up. But also in the healing room where everyone licks their wounds, he's the guy who just goes about his business".
Joshua Dallas as Fandral:
:A member of the Warriors Three, characterized as an irrepressible
swashbuckler and romantic.
Stuart Townsend was initially cast after
Zachary Levi was forced to vacate the role due to a scheduling conflict. However, days before filming began, Townsend was replaced by Dallas citing "creative differences". Dallas said he believed that Fandral "would like to think of himself a philanderer. He would like to think of himself, I was saying, as the
R. Kelly of Asgard. He's a lover, not a fighter". Dallas also mentioned that
Errol Flynn was an inspiration for the character stating, "He was a big inspiration for the character and for me. I watched a lot of his movies and kind of got that into my bones. I tried to bring out that little bit of Flynn-ness in it. Flynn had a lot of that boyish charm that Fandral's got...."
Jaimie Alexander as Sif:
:A warrior and Thor's childhood friend based on the mythological deity of the
same name. Alexander is best known for her portrayal of
Jessi XX on the
ABC Family series ''
Kyle XY''. Alexander said that she was familiar with Marvel Comics before having taken the part, having grown up with four brothers. Alexander said the part required hours a day in the gym, though training is not unfamiliar to her, explaining she was one of few girls on her
Colleyville, Texas, high-school wrestling team. Alexander described her character as "one of the guys" and that, "She's a very talented, skilled warrior and can stand on her own against any villain in the film". About her relationship with Thor she stated, "She is very loyal to Thor and cares a lot about protecting him and protecting Asgard".
Rene Russo as Frigga:
:The wife of Odin, queen of Asgard, stepmother of Thor and adoptive mother of Loki, based on the mythological deity of the
same name. Russo stated in March 2011 interview that she has signed on for possible sequels, joking that, "Eventually they'll kick me out, so who knows how many I'll do".
Clark Gregg reprises his role as S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Phil Coulson from ''Iron Man'' and ''Iron Man 2''. Adriana Barraza plays diner owner Isabel Alvarez and Maximiliano Hernández plays S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Jasper Sitwell. Actors Joseph Gatt, Joshua Cox and Douglas Tait portray Frost Giants. Stan Lee and J. Michael Straczynski have cameo appearances as pick-up truck drivers. Samuel L. Jackson has an uncredited cameo as Nick Fury, director of S.H.I.E.L.D., who as revealed in ''Iron Man'' is coordinating the "Avenger Initiative". Jeremy Renner has an uncredited cameo as Clint Barton. Dakota Goyo and Ted Allpress play Thor and Loki, respectively, as children.
Production
Development
}}
Sam Raimi originally envisioned the idea for ''Thor'' after ''Darkman'' (1990), meeting Stan Lee and pitching the concept to 20th Century Fox, but they did not understand it. ''Thor'' was abandoned until April 1997, when Marvel Studios was beginning to rapidly expand. The film first gained momentum after the successful release of the film ''X-Men''. The plan was for the film to be made for TV. UPN was in talks for airing it; excited by the prospect, they pushed for a script and approached Tyler Mane to lead as Thor. In May 2000, Marvel Studios brought Artisan Entertainment to help finance it as a film, but ''Thor'' was still laboring in development hell by April 2002, and in June 2004 the project still had yet to be optioned by a studio. However, Sony Pictures Entertainment purchased the film rights, and in December 2004 David S. Goyer was in negotiations to write and direct. In 2005, though there were talks between Goyer and Marvel, it was revealed that Goyer was no longer attached, though at this point the film was still set to be distributed through Sony Pictures.
Mark Protosevich, a fan of the ''Thor'' comic book, signed to write the script in April 2006, during which time Paramount Pictures acquired the rights from Sony. That year the film was also announced to be a Marvel Studios production. In December 2007, Protosevich described his plans for it "to be like a superhero origin story, but not one about a human gaining super powers, but of a god realizing his true potential. It's the story of an Old Testament god who becomes a New Testament god". In August 2007 Marvel Studios signed Matthew Vaughn to direct the film. Vaughn then rewrote Protosevich's script in order to bring down the budget to $150 million, as Protosevich's first draft would have cost $300 million to produce. He intended to start filming in late 2008 and after the success of ''Iron Man'', Marvel Studios announced that they intended to release ''Thor'' on June 4, 2010, with ''Iron Man 2'' being used to introduce the character of Thor.
Pre-production
Vaughn was released when his holding deal expired in May 2008, at which point Marvel set Protosevich to work on a new draft and began searching for a new director. By September 2008
D. J. Caruso had been discussing taking on the project, though he did not read the script. Later that month, it was revealed that
Kenneth Branagh had entered into negotiations to direct, and in December 2008, Branagh confirmed that he has been hired. He described it as "a human story right in the center of a big epic scenario." Branagh stated that he hoped to begin filming in January 2010 and Marvel Studios set back the release date of the film from its scheduled July 16, 2010 date to June 17, 2011, almost a full year later. They later moved the release date to May 20, 2011, to distance the film's release from that of ''
Captain America: The First Avenger'', another Marvel Studios film which was scheduled to be released on July 22, 2011. In February 2009,
Samuel L. Jackson, who had briefly portrayed
Nick Fury at the end of the film ''
Iron Man'', signed on to reprise the role in the film as part of an unprecedented nine-picture deal with
Marvel Studios. However, in an April 2010 interview, Jackson stated that he would not be appearing in ''Thor''. When asked why not Jackson explained, "I have no idea. I'm not in charge of making those kinds of decisions. I thought I was; they said I was in the trades, and I was like, 'Ooh! I got a job!' I called my agent he said, 'Naw, you're not in it.' I was like, 'Well shit, they need to pay me if they're gonna put my name in it. Later in a February 2011 appearance on ''
Late Night with Jimmy Fallon'' Jackson revealed that he would be filming a scene for ''Thor'' to serve as "connective tissue" for ''The Avengers''.
In February 2009, a casting call went out looking for actors with certain physical attributes to audition for the role of Thor. In May 2009, Chris Hemsworth was in negotiations to portray the title role after a back-and-forth process in which the 25-year-old actor was nixed early on, then given a second chance to read for the part. The next day, Marvel announced that Tom Hiddleston, who had worked with Branagh before and had initially been considered to portray the lead role, had been cast as Loki. Kevin Feige of Marvel Studios confirmed in June of that year that both Hemsworth and Hiddleston had signed on. Feige also mentioned that the film would take place on both modern day Earth and Asgard but Thor's human host, Dr. Donald Blake would not be included.
With Hemsworth and Hiddleston in place, the rest of the cast began to fill out. In July, Marvel announced that Natalie Portman would portray Jane Foster. Jaimie Alexander and Colm Feore were reported to have joined the cast in September, with Alexander portraying Sif and Feore's role unrevealed, though it was thought to be a villain. In an interview with Swedish news site ''Ystads Allehanda'', Stellan Skarsgård stated that he had joined the cast, though he did not specify his role. By late October Anthony Hopkins had been cast as Odin in the film. Several weeks later Marvel announced that they had cast the Warriors Three; Fandral was to be played by Stuart Townsend, Hogun was to be played by Tadanobu Asano and Volstagg was to be played by Ray Stevenson. A few days later it was announced that Idris Elba had also joined the cast, portraying Heimdall.
In an interview, Natalie Portman revealed that actress Kat Dennings would be involved in the project. Dennings portrays Darcy, a coworker of Portman's Jane Foster. In December, Rene Russo was cast as Frigga, Thor's adoptive mother and Odin's wife. Later that month, actors Joseph Gatt, Troy Brenna, and Joshua Cox had been cast in the film, though none of their roles were revealed. In January 2010, Adriana Barraza had also joined the film's cast, in a supporting capacity. Only days before filming began, Stuart Townsend was replaced by Joshua Dallas as Fandral, citing "creative differences". When ''Spider-Man 4'''s production stalled, Paramount and Marvel Entertainment decided to push up the release of ''Thor'' by two weeks to the then vacated date of May 6, 2011.
The Science & Entertainment Exchange connected Marvel Entertainment, Kenneth Branagh, "the screenwriter, and a few people on the design and production side of things" with three physicists (Sean Carroll, Kevin Hand, Jim Hartle) as well as physics student Kevin Hickerson, to provide a realistic science background for the Thor universe. The consultation resulted in a change in Jane Foster's profession, from nurse to particle physicist, and the terminology (Einstein-Rosen bridge) to describe the Bifrost Bridge.
Filming
In October 2008, Marvel Studios signed a long term lease agreement with Raleigh Studios to shoot their next four films - ''
Iron Man 2'', ''Thor'', ''
Captain America: The First Avenger'' and ''
The Avengers'' - at Raleigh's
Manhattan Beach, California facility. ''Production Weekly'' reported that filming on Marvel's ''Thor'' was scheduled to begin in Los Angeles mid-January, then move to
Santa Fe, New Mexico from March until late-April.
Principal photography began on January 11, 2010. A few days after filming began, it was reported that
Clark Gregg had signed on to reprise his role from ''
Iron Man'' and ''Iron Man 2'' as
Agent Coulson. In February, Paramount Pictures entered negotiations with
Del Mar, California to use of 300-yard stretch of beach to film a scene for ''Thor'' involving six horses running down the terrain. Paramount said this coastline was ideal because its gradual slope of sand down to the waterline creates excellent reflection opportunities on film. On March 15, 2010 production of ''Thor'' moved to
Galisteo, New Mexico, where an entire town was built for the shoot.
Branagh, a fan of the comic book since childhood, commented on the challenge of bridging Asgard and the modern world: "Inspired by the comic book world both pictorially and compositionally at once, we've tried to find a way to make a virtue and a celebration of the distinction between the worlds that exist in the film but absolutely make them live in the same world. It's about finding the framing style, the color palette, finding the texture and the amount of camera movement that helps celebrate and express the differences and the distinctions in those worlds. If it succeeds, it will mark this film as different.... The combination of the primitive and the sophisticated, the ancient and the modern, I think that potentially is the exciting fusion, the exciting tension in the film".
By April, the prospect for filming parts of ''Thor'' in Del Mar, California had fallen through. Paramount Pictures sent a letter informing the city that it has instead chosen an undisclosed Northern California location to film a beachfront scene for the film. The letter cited cost concerns with moving production too far away from its headquarters.
Post-production
The film ended principal photography on May 6, 2010 and entered
post-production. It was reported in February 2010 that France-based
BUF Compagnie would be the lead
visual effects house working on the film.
Digital Domain also worked on the visual effects. Branagh stated that BUF, who developed the effects for the race through space was much inspired by
Hubble photography and other images of deep space. Branagh also stated he sent paintings from classic studies by
J. M. W. Turner to Digital Domain when creating
Jotunheim.
The film was released in a 3-D version. In an interview with the ''Los Angeles Times'', Kenneth Branagh stated that the 3-D process initially made him cringe but "We came to feel that in our case 3-D could be the very good friend of story and character for a different kind of experience". Although 2-D was used for principal photography, producer Kevin Fiege stated that the "special effects for the film were conceived and executed from the beginning in 3-D".
In October 2010, casting calls went out for bit players to appear in an undisclosed number of reshoots.
In March 2011, scenes involving Adriana Barraza were removed from the theatrical cut of the film during the editing process. Kenneth Branagh sent a letter of apology explaining the reasons for the cut and desire to work with Barraza again in the future. In response Barraza stated, "It saddens me because the movie is great and because I was acting alongside some tremendous actors that I admire very much, but I understand the nature of films, and it's not the first or last time that scenes will be cut". Barraza appears in only one scene in the film's theatrical cut. In that same month, actor Douglas Tait revealed that he provided motion capture for the Frost Giants. On his hiring, Tait said "I am 6'5" and have a lean, athletic build, and they hired guys who were 6'7" and taller, and weighed over 250 pounds. When the film was being edited, they wanted to make them even bigger and move faster. They auditioned people again and Kenneth Branagh chose me to perform the motion capture movements of the Frost Giants".
In April 2011, the IMAX Corporation, Paramount Pictures and Marvel Entertainment announced that they have finalized an agreement to release the film on digital IMAX 3D screens. The release marked the continuation of the partnership between the companies, which started on ''Iron Man 2''.
The post-credits scene in which Skarsgård's Erik Selvig comes face-to-face with Samuel L. Jackson's Nick Fury was directed by Joss Whedon, who is also directing ''The Avengers''.
Music
In March 2011,
Buena Vista Records announced the details for the
soundtrack. The album includes
Patrick Doyle's original
score from the film and it was released in some European territories at the end of April. ''Thor'' marks the tenth collaboration between composer Patrick Doyle and director Kenneth Branagh.
In April 2011, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige revealed that the music of the Foo Fighters was added to the film. The song "Walk" plays during a scene in which Thor, stripped of his powers and marooned on Earth, retreats to a New Mexico roadhouse to drink away the night with boilermakers and carouse with Stellan Skarsgård's character. The track plays again over the closing credits. Feige stated:
}}
Release
The world premiere of ''Thor'' took place on Sunday, April 17, 2011 at the
Event Cinemas theatre in
George Street, Sydney. The U.S. premiere took place on Monday, May 2, 2011 at the
El Capitan Theatre in
Hollywood, California. The event was hosted by
Isaiah Mustafa and streamed live on Marvel's official website.
Marketing
In July 2010 Marvel Studios held a ''Thor'' panel at the 2010
San Diego Comic-Con International during which director Kenneth Branagh and actors Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Kat Dennings, Tom Hiddleston, and Clark Gregg talked about the film before showing some footage from the film. A few days later, the footage shown at Comic-Con was leaked on the internet. In December 2010, Marvel debuted the first poster as well as the first trailer online and in theaters attached to ''
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader''. The first television advertisement aired during
Super Bowl XLV on the
FOX network in the United States. The rate for advertising during the game ran about $3 million per 30-second spot. Marvel Studios and
Acura launched a joint
viral marketing promotion at the 2011
Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo.
Other official promotional partners included
Burger King,
Dr. Pepper,
7 Eleven, and
Visa. In May 2011
Marvel Entertainment's President of Print, Animation and Digital;
Dan Buckley and Marvel Comics Editor-In-Chief;
Axel Alonso rang the
NYSE closing bell in celebration of the theatrical release of ''Thor''.
A post-credits scene in the film ''Iron Man 2'' showed S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent Coulson (played by Clark Gregg) reporting the discovery of a large hammer in the desert. Rick Marshall of MTV News believed it to be the weapon Mjöllnir belonging to Thor, writing, "It continues the grand tradition of connecting the film to another property in development around the Marvel movie universe." In the DVD commentary track, at the start of the scene, Iron Man 2's director, Jon Favreau, stated that the scene was actually shot on the set of Thor, and "this is a scene from Thor;" the entire scene was reused in the final cut of Thor, when Coulson finds the locals attempting to move Mjolnir.
Marvel Animation announced a 26-episode animated series in November 2008, to air in late 2010 before the release of Marvel Studios' film. The company released an animated direct-to-video film, ''Thor: Tales of Asgard'', to coincide with the live-action movie.
A video game titled ''Thor: God of Thunder'' based on the film was developed by Sega using the voices and likenesses of actors Chris Hemsworth and Tom Hiddleston, and was released on May 3, 2011.
Home media
In July 2011, Marvel Studios and Paramount Pictures announced the release of ''Thor'' on
Blu-ray 3D,
Blu-ray and
DVD. The discs are scheduled to be released on September 13, 2011. The ''Thor'' three-disc Ultimate Set includes the film on Blu-ray in high-definition 3D and high-definition 2D, as well as on standard-definition DVD with a digital copy. The two-disc Blu-ray/DVD combo pack includes a high-definition presentation of the film, plus a standard-definition presentation with a digital copy. Both sets come with over 80 minutes of bonus materials.
Director Kenneth Branagh said that the DVD will include at least 20 minutes of deleted scenes. Specifically Branagh stated the footage will contain "things like the Asgardian parents, Odin and Frigga, played by the beautiful Rene Russo, there's some beautiful scenes in there that I think people will enjoy. And certainly Thor and Loki interacting in different ways that just fill in a little bit of a back story, that was part of our rehearsal and research."
Reception
Box office
''Thor'' placed second in its opening weekend in Australia following
Universal Pictures' ''
Fast Five'', earning $5.8 million. The film opened to just 1% more than the most popular Marvel property, ''
Iron Man'', did in Australia in 2008. The following week, ''Thor'' opened in 56 markets grossing $89.2 million through the weekend. ''Thor'' placed first in its opening weekend in North America, earning $65.7 million including $6.6 million in IMAX theatres in 213 locations, representing 10% of the weekend gross. The film held on to the number one spot at the American and Canadian box office during its second weekend, dropping 47%, and grossed $34.7 million. As of August 25, 2011, ''Thor'' has grossed $181,030,624 in the U.S. and Canada as well as $267,482,200 in international markets for a total of $448,512,824 million worldwide.
Critical response
''Thor'' has received generally favorable reviews from film critics. The film has a 77% approval rating on the
review-aggregator website
Rotten Tomatoes, based on 246 reviews with an
average rating of 6.7/10, the consensus being "A dazzling blockbuster that tempers its sweeping scope with wit, humor, and human drama, ''Thor'' is mighty Marvel entertainment."
Metacritic, which assigns a
weighted average score out of 1–100 reviews from film critics, has a rating score of 57 based on 40 reviews.
Richard Kuipers of ''Variety'' stated, "''Thor'' delivers the goods so long as butt is being kicked and family conflict is playing out in celestial dimensions, but is less thrilling during the Norse warrior god's rather brief banishment on Earth". Megan Lehmann of ''The Hollywood Reporter'' said, "The hammer-hurling god of thunder kicks off this superhero summer with a bang". Richard Roeper of the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' declared, "''Thor'' is the most entertaining superhero debut since the original ''Spider-Man''".
Conversely, Roger Ebert also of the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' gave it a negative review stating, "''Thor'' is failure as a movie, but a success as marketing, an illustration of the ancient carnival tactic of telling the rubes anything to get them into the tent". A.O. Scott of the ''New York Times'' also disliked the film calling ''Thor'', "an example of the programmed triumph of commercial calculation over imagination". Kenneth Turan of the ''Los Angeles Times'' had mixed feelings, describing the film as "an aesthetic standoff between predictable elements and unexpected ones". Turan praised the performances of Hemsworth, Hopkins, and Elba, but found the special effects inconsistent and the Earth storyline derivative.
Accolades
Sequel
In April 2011, Marvel Studios president
Kevin Feige stated that following ''
The Avengers'', "Thor will go off into a new adventure." However when asked about Feige's comments director Kenneth Branagh responded, "It is kind of news to me. Here's what I would say to that: It's that I'm thrilled they're that confident. I shall wait for the audience to tell us whether there should be a second one, and then if that's a nice conversation to be had between all of us, that'd be thrilling. But I've got too much Irish superstitious blood in me to assume that ''Thor 2'' will happen. But if Marvel says so, then I guess it must be true". Feige later explained that they'll wait to see how well ''Thor'' does at the box office before officially announcing sequels but stated, "
Don Payne is working on story ideas for a part two. We've got various options with Ken [Branagh] to discuss coming back, but right now the focus is on the first one. Don is, slowly but surely, thinking about where to take the character next should we be so lucky".
In June 2011, Walt Disney Pictures set a July 26, 2013 release date for ''Thor 2'' with Chris Hemsworth reprising his role as the title hero. Kenneth Branagh will not be returning as director but will likely be involved in some producing capacity. The ''Los Angeles Times'' cited the marathon devotion required for a major visual-effects epic and the urgency to get the script process underway as reasons for Branagh's departure although the director was initially enthused by the prospect of a sequel. The following day, Marvel hired Don Payne, one of the credited writers of the first film, to script the sequel.
In August 2011, it was reported that Brian Kirk was in early negotiations to direct ''Thor 2'' for Marvel Studios and Disney. The film would mark Kirk's directorial debut on a major Hollywood production, who is best known for directing episodes of HBO's ''Game of Thrones'' and ''Boardwalk Empire'' as well as Showtime's ''Dexter'' and BBC's ''Luther'', the latter starring Idris Elba.
References
External links
''Thor'' Movie Hub at Marvel.com
Category:2010s action films
Category:2010s 3-D films
Category:2-D films converted to 3-D
Category:American fantasy adventure films
Category:American films
Category:English-language films
Category:Films based on Norse mythology
Category:Films directed by Kenneth Branagh
Category:Films set in New Mexico
Category:Films shot in Los Angeles, California
Category:Films shot in New Mexico
Category:Marvel Cinematic Universe films
Category:Paramount Pictures films
Category:Thor (Marvel Comics) in other media
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