‘Thor: Love and Thunder’ Storms This Week’s Streaming Movie Ranker With No. 1 Debut | Chart
Movie fans clearly couldn’t wait to watch — or, in many cases, rewatch — “Thor: Love and Thunder” once it hit Disney+, with the Marvel flick topping Whip Media’s U.S. movie ranker, which ranks the most viewed movies on streaming services over the past weekend using data from TV Time, a TV and movie app that tracks viewer interest across 22 million global registered users.
“Thor: Love and Thunder” made its streaming debut on Disney+ last Thursday, giving it plenty of momentum to become the most streamed movie between last Friday through Sunday. The sequel to 2017’s “Thor: Ragnarok” saw Chris Hemsworth reprise his role as the “God of Thunder,” while also being joined this time around by Christian Bale, who played Gorr the God Butcher, and Natalie Portman, who played Dr. Jane Foster, Thor’s ex-girlfriend.
The movie’s streaming debut was heavily anticipated, following a strong showing at both the domestic and international box offices. So far, “Thor: Love and Thunder” has raked in more than $750 million globally — making it the sixth highest grossing film of the year.
Disney+ also grabbed the second spot in Whip Media’s movie ranker thanks to the debut of “Pinocchio.” Like “Thor: Love and Thunder,” the live-action remake of the 1940 classic — directed by Robert Zemeckis and starring Tom Hanks as Geppetto — also hit Disney’s streaming service on Sept. 8.
While the name recognition of the film and its talent surely helped give it an initial boost, underwhelming reviews may have been enough to keep it out of the top spot for the weekend. It’ll be worth seeing if “Pinocchio” can retain its high ranking next week or if it’ll take a tumble.
The same thing applies to “Morbius,” too, which came in third place following its debut on Netflix last week. The much-maligned Marvel flick, starring Jared Leto, was skewered by fans and critics when it first hit theaters in April. Following an onslaught of memes, “Morbius” then returned to more than 1,000 theaters in June. Now that it’s on Netflix, streaming viewers look to be taking the chance to judge the film for themselves — or perhaps make a few more jokes at its expense. Either way, it earned the bronze medal this past weekend.
“Elvis,” meanwhile, had to surrender (see what we did there?) its No. 1 ranking from a week ago as it dipped to fourth place in Whip Media’s latest ranker. Still, it’s a strong showing for the summer smash, which starred Austin Butler as “The King,” after it hit HBO Max earlier this month.
“Me Time,” despite its brutal reviews from both critics and fans, continues to perform strongly for Netflix. The Kevin Hart-Mark Wahlberg buddy comedy grabbed the fifth spot overall, wedging between “Elvis” and another summer blockbuster, “Jurassic World Dominion,” which came in sixth over the weekend. The third and final film in the “Jurassic World” series is Peacock’s sole entry in the top 10. “Dominion” was ranked fourth on last week’s ranker following its Peacock debut on Sept. 2.
Also Read:
How ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’ Post-Credits Scene Opens Door for the Return of [SPOILERS]
Netflix then grabbed two of the next three spots thanks to “Love in the Villa” coming in seventh and “End of the Road” in ninth, respectively. “Villa,” a rom-com from director and writer Mark Steven Johnson, dropped from third place a week prior, following its release on Netflix, while this was the premiere weekend for Queen Latifah’s “End of the Road.”
“Moonfall,” the sci-fi flop starring Halle Berry and directed by Roland Emrich, came in between both of the aforementioned Netflix series at No. 8 on Whip Media’s ranker. This was the first weekend in which “Moonfall” was available to stream on HBO Max.
Lastly, “Obi-Wan Kenobi: A Jedi’s Return” — a new documentary on the making of the popular “Star Wars” series — allowed Disney+ to bookend the weekly rankings and grab the 10th spot.
Also Read:
D23 Review: What Disney’s Dogged Commitment to Its Past Says About Its Future
