From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Thor is a 2011 American
based on the
character , produced by
and distributed by . It is the fourth installment in the . The film was directed by , written by
and , and stars , , , , , , , ,
and . The film tells the story of Thor, the crown prince of , who is exiled from his homeland to Earth. While there, he forms a relationship with , a scientist. However, Thor must stop his adopted brother , who intends to become the new king of Asgard.
first developed the concept of a film adaptation of Thor in 1991, but soon abandoned the project, leaving it in "" for several years. During this time, the rights were picked up by various film studios until Marvel Studios signed
to develop the project in 2006, and planned to finance it and release it through Paramount Pictures.
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
from January to May 2010. The film was converted to
in post-production.
Thor premiered on April 17, 2011, in Sydney, Australia and was released on May 6, 2011, in the United States. The film was a financial success and received positive reviews from film critics. The DVD and Blu-ray Disc sets were released on September 13, 2011. A sequel, , was released on November 8, 2013. A third film,
is set to be released on November 3, 2017.
In 965 AD, , king of , wages war against the
and their leader , to prevent them from conquering the , starting with Earth. The Asgardian warriors defeat the Frost Giants and seize the source of their power, the .
In the present, Odin's son
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 , childhood friend
and the : , , and . 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 , now protected by an enchantment that allows only the worthy to wield it.
Thor lands in , where astrophysicist , her assistant Darcy Lewis, and mentor Dr. Erik Selvig, find him. The local populace finds Mjolnir, which
soon commandeers before forcibly acquiring Jane's data about the
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 that he is actually Laufey's son, adopted by Odin after the war ended. A weary Odin falls into the deep "Odinsleep" to recover his strength. Loki seizes the throne in Odin's stead 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 , gatekeeper of the —the means of traveling between worlds—to allow them passage to Earth. Aware of their plan, Loki sends the , a seemingly indestructible , 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 leave 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 Bifr?st Bridge, thus proving himself worthy to his adoptive father. Thor arrives and fights Loki before destroying the Bifr?st 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 when Odin rejects his pleas for approval. Thor makes amends with Odin, admitting he is
while on Earth, Jane and her team search for a way to open a portal to Asgard.
In a , Selvig has been taken to a S.H.I.E.L.D. facility, where
opens a briefcase and asks him to study a mysterious cube-shaped object, which Fury says may hold untold power. An invisible Loki prompts Selvig to agree, and he does.
Hemsworth promoting the film in London in April 2011.
of , based on the
of the . Director
and Marvel Studios chief
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, , 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."
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 stated that she really wanted to do a big effects film that emphasized character, and getting to do it with Branagh was a new way of approaching it, relative to . 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
who actually discovered the
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 . 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'".
Hiddleston promoting the film in London in April 2011.
Thor's adoptive brother and nemesis based on the deity of the . Hiddleston was chosen after previously working with Branagh on
and . 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
in , but nastier." Hiddleston 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
in . Physically, he can't be posing as Thor". Hiddleston looked at
as inspiration for Loki as well explaining, "Interestingly enough, [Kenneth Branagh] said to look at Peter O'Toole in two specific films,
and . 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".
A scientist doing research in New Mexico who encounters Thor. Skarsg?rd stated that he was not initially familiar with the comic book version of Thor. As to why he took the part, Skarsg?rd 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".
King of the
and Loki's biological father, based on the mythological being of the , who in myth was actually Loki's mother. 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
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". He said the Shakespearean training he shared with Hopkins and director Branagh helped keep production moving briskly, saying that "during the breaks, Tony, myself and Ken would be talking in Shakespearean shorthand about what the characters were doing, what we thought they may be like, and how we could focus our attention more intelligently. These were discussions that took no more than a few minutes between takes, but they allowed Ken, Tony and [me] to understand each other instantly without Ken taking an hour away to explain to the actors exactly what was going on. So that was enormously helpful."
A 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 , and with Marvel Studios as the titular character in . Stevenson wore a
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
verve and vigor, and a bit of a beer gut to suggest that enormous appetite, but he's not the sort of -shaped figure he is in the comics. He's Falstaff with muscles. I've got this amazing foam-injected undersuit that flexes with me."
The all-seeing, all-hearing Asgardian sentry of the , based on the mythological deity of the . 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
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".
as Darcy Lewis:
A political science major who is Jane Foster's intern. Dennings described her character as Foster's "little helper ". Dennings 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
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."
The wife of Odin, queen of Asgard, mother of Thor and adoptive mother of Loki, based on the mythological deity of the . 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".
The ruler of Asgard, father of Thor, and adoptive father of Loki, based on the mythological deity of the . 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
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 expressed that he found 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 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".
A member of the Warriors Three, primarily identified by his grim demeanor and as the only member who is not an . 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".
A member of the Warriors Three, characterized as an irrepressible
and romantic.
was initially cast after
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
of Asgard. He's a lover, not a fighter". Dallas mentioned that
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...."
A warrior and Thor's childhood friend based on the mythological deity of the . Alexander was best known for her portrayal of
series . 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 , 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".
reprises his role as
plays diner owner Isabella Alvarez and
plays S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent . Actors ,
as pick-up truck drivers.
has an uncredited cameo as , director of .
has an uncredited cameo as .
and Ted Allpress play Thor and Loki, respectively, as children.
"Thor's powers are godly, yes ... But at the end of the day, he's a man ... Odin sends him to Earth because he's not perfect. He's brash, arrogant. Even over-confident ... he also bleeds. He struggles. Life kicks him where it hurts the most ... You want to feel Thor's rage when he rages. You want to see him fight like hell, and take as much as he dishes out -- maybe more. You want to have a visceral reaction to the guy, and what happens to him. You don't want his adventures to be clean and antiseptic. You want to see the dirt, and grime and blood. You want to feel every bone crunching moment of every fight. And when he unleashes the storm, you want to feel like you're seeing the power of a GOD at work."
—Ashley Miller, co-writer of Thor, about the project
originally envisioned the idea for Thor after making
(1990); he met
and pitched the concept to , but they did not understand it. Thor was abandoned until April 1997, when
was beginning to expand rapidly. The film gained momentum after the success of
(2000). The plan was for Thor to be made for television.
was in excited by the prospect, they pushed for a script and approached
to play . In May 2000, Marvel Studios brought
to help finance it as a film, but by June 2004 the project still had yet to be patronised by a studio.
finally purchased the film rights, and in December 2004
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 interested, though at this point the film was still set to be distributed through .
, a fan of the Thor comic book, agreed to write the script in April 2006, and the project moved to , after it acquired the rights from Sony. That year the film was announced to be a
production. In December 2007, Protosevich described his plans for it "to be like a
, but not one about a human gaining super powers, but of a god realizing his true potential. It's the story of an
god who becomes a
god". In August 2007 Marvel Studios signed
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 , Marvel Studios announced that they intended to release Thor on June 4, 2010, with
being used to introduce the character of Thor.
"Thor, at his best, has always had a classic bent in terms of his history, the way he speaks and the often Shakespearean dramas that surround him. That kind of dialogue and character needs someone who comes from a classically trained background in order for it not to sound forced or artificial. Branagh is the perfect choice."
—J Michael Straczynski, co-writer of Thor, on Kenneth Branagh
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.
entered talks to direct the film. Del Toro was a fan of 's work on the comics, and said that he loved the character of , but wished to incorporate more of the original
into the film, including a "really dingy , [with]
and mud". However, del Toro ultimately turned down Thor to direct . By September 2008
had been discussing taking on the project, though he did not read the script. Later that month, it was revealed that
had entered into negotiations to direct, and in December 2008, Branagh confirmed that he had 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 , another Marvel Studios film that was scheduled to be released on July 22, 2011. In October 2008,
was offered the role, but ultimately turned it down, citing his commitments to the .
In February 2009, , who had briefly portrayed
at the end of the film , signed on to reprise the role in Thor as part of an unprecedented nine-picture deal with . 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 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 the month, Jackson revealed that he would be filming a scene for Thor to serve as "connective tissue" for . Also in February, a casting call went out looking for actors with certain physical attributes to audition for the role of Thor.
In May 2009,
was in negotiations to portray the title role after a back-and-forth process in which the 25-year-old actor was refused early on, then given a second chance to read for the part. Hemsworth's brother,
also auditioned for the role, but was passed on by Marvel Studios head . The next day, Marvel announced that , who had worked with Branagh before and had initially been considered to portray the lead role, had been cast as . In June 2009, Feige confirmed that both Hemsworth and Hiddleston had signed on. Feige mentioned that the film would take place on both modern day Earth and
but Thor's human host, Dr. Donald Blake, would not be included. In July 2009, Marvel announced that
would portray .
were reported to have joined the cast in September, with Alexander portraying
and Feore's role unrevealed, though it was thought to be a villain. In an interview with Swedish news site Ystads Allehanda,
stated that he had joined the cast, though he did not specify his role. By late October
had been cast as
in the film. The following month, Marvel announced tha
was to be played by ,
was to be played by
was to be played by .
was announced to have joined the cast, portraying . Natalie Portman revealed that
would be involved in the project, portraying Darcy, a coworker of Portman's Jane Foster.
In December 2009,
was cast as , Thor's stepmother and Odin's wife. Later that month, actors , , and
had been cast in the film, though none of their roles were revealed. In January 2010,
had joined the film's cast, in a supporting capacity. Only days before filming began, Stuart Townsend was replaced by
as Fandral, citing "creative differences". When 's production stalled, Paramount and Marvel Entertainment pushed up the release of Thor by two weeks to the then vacated date of May 6, 2011.
introduced Marvel Entertainment, Kenneth Branagh, "the screenwriter, and a few people on the design and production side of things" to three physicists (, , and 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 () to describe the .
promoting the film in London in April 2011.
In October 2008, Marvel Studios signed a long-term lease agreement with Raleigh Studios to photograph their next four films—, Thor,
and The Avengers—at Raleigh's
facility. Production Weekly reported that filming on Marvel's Thor was scheduled to begin in Los Angeles mid-January, then move to
from March until late-April.
began on January 11, 2010. A few days after filming began, it was reported that
had signed on to reprise his role from
and Iron Man 2 as . In February, Paramount Pictures entered negotiations with
to use a 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 reflective opportunities on film. On March 15, 2010 production of Thor moved to , where an old-fashioned Western film town was extensively modified 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
location to film a beachfront scene for the film. The letter cited cost concerns with moving production too far away from its headquarters.
The film's
travel sequences (top) were inspired by
photography (bottom).
The film ended principal photography on May 6, 2010 and entered the "" phase. It was reported in February 2010 that France-based
would be the lead
house working on the film.
worked on the visual effects as well. Branagh stated that BUF, who developed the effects for the race through space was much inspired by
photography and other images of deep space. Branagh stated he sent paintings from classic studies by
to Digital Domain when creating . Peter Butterworth, VFX supervisor and co-founder of , said the most challenging task was interpreting what the
would look like, "You can't
what these things look like—they are totally imagined and within the heads of the stakeholders. So to extract that and interpret it for the big screen was an interesting challenge creatively. Technically, probably creating fluid simulations that could be art-directed and used for both the Bifr?st and Odin's chamber shots. Part of the difficulty with solving these is that we had to ensure they would work in stereo. In the film, Odin enters what is known as the "Odinsleep" in his chamber to regenerate. Butterworth stated, "For Odin's Chamber, we developed a dome and curtain of light rays that hover over Odin's bed. This dome of light suggests harnessed power and energy that revitalizes him as he sleeps. We took a lot of reference from the natural world such as the corona of the sun and gave the sleep effect plenty of volume and space".
The film was released in a
version. In an interview with the , 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 Feige 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
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,
revealed that he performed for motion capture of the . 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 , Paramount Pictures and Marvel Entertainment announced that they have finalized an agreement to release the film on digital
3D screens. The release marked the continuation of the partnership between the companies, which started on Iron Man 2.
in which Skarsg?rd's Erik Selvig comes face-to-face with Samuel L. Jackson's Nick Fury was directed by , who directed
The film's score was written by composer , a frequent collaborator of Branagh. Doyle described Thor as "the most commercially high profile film I have done since ", adding that the composing process had the challenge of trying to find a tone that fit the duality of Asgard and Earth. Thus Doyle and Branagh had frequent discussions on the musical direction, with the director suggesting a contemporary feel and having a balance between the music and "grand images [that] were not in any way hyperbolized", and the composer in turn implementing "a strong sense of melody, which he responds to in my work". As Doyle declared that his own
background made him familiar with Norse mythology, an old Celtic folk song also provided the inspiration for Thor's leitmotif. A soundtrack album was released by
in April 2011.
The film also features a song by the , "", in both a scene where a powerless Thor shares some
with Selvig in a roadhouse, and the film's closing credits. Marvel president Kevin Feige stated that "Walk" was a last minute addition, that the crew felt had "these eerie appropriate lyrics and themes" upon hearing it. Branagh in particular thought that "these lyrics about learning to walk again" were appropriate "of [a] movie about redemption, learning to be a hero."
of Thor took place on April 17, 2011, at the
theatre in . The U.S. premiere took place on May 2, 2011, at the
in . The event was hosted by
and streamed live on Marvel's official website. The film premiered on April 21, 2011, in Australia, and on May 6, 2011, in the United States.
Hemsworth, Portman, Dennings and Hiddleston at the 2010 .
In July 2010 Marvel Studios held a Thor panel at the 2010
during which Kenneth Branagh and Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Kat Dennings, Tom Hiddleston, and Clark Gregg discussed the film and showed some clips from it. A few days later, this footage was leaked on the internet. The first television advertisement was broadcast during
network in the United States. The rate for advertising during the game was approximately $3 million per 30-second spot. Marvel Studios and
launched a joint
promotion at the 2011 . Other official promotional partners included , , , and . In May 2011 's President of Print, Animation and Digital, , and Marvel Comics Editor-In-Chief, , rang the
closing bell in celebration of the theatrical release of Thor.
in the film
showed a S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent (played by ) reporting the discovery of a large hammer in the desert. Rick Marshall of
believed it to be the weapon
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, , stated that the scene was actually shot on the set of Thor, and "this is a scene from Thor".
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
film, , to coincide with the live-action film.
A video game titled
based on the film was developed by
using the voices and likenesses of actors Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston and Jaimie Alexander, and was released on May 3, 2011.
In July 2011, Marvel Studios and Paramount Pictures announced the release of Thor on ,
and . The discs were released on September 13, 2011 in three editions: a single-disc DVD, a 2-disc Blu-ray-DVD combo pack, and a 3-disc Blu-ray/DVD/3D combo pack. All sets come with deleted scenes and a "Road to The Avengers featurette. The 2-disc and 3-disc packs includes a digital copy, the first in a series of , The Consultant, and 7 behind-the-scenes featurettes.
Branagh said that the DVD includes at least 20 minutes of . Branagh stated the footage contains "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." In its first week of release, Thor took the number one spot on Blu-ray/DVD sales chart and topped 's rental chart for the week.
The film is also collected in a 10-disc
titled Marvel Cinematic Universe: Phase One – Avengers Assembled which will include all of the "Phase One" films in the . However in September 2012, the release of the box set, which was scheduled on the same day as the Blu-ray Disc release of The Avengers, was delayed until April 2, 2013, due to a pending lawsuit over the suitcase used to package the collection.
Thor earned $181.0 million in
and $268.3 million in other territories for a worldwide total of $449.3 million. It was also the 15th highest-grossing film of 2011.
The film opened in North America on May 6, 2011 in 3,955 theaters with $25.5 million (including $3.3 million from midnight screenings in about 1,800 theaters) and went on to earn $65.7 million during its opening weekend taking the number one spot. $6.2 million of the gross came from 214 IMAX 3D theaters. 3D presentations at a then-record 2,737 locations accounted for 60% of the gross. It became the tenth highest-grossing film of 2011 in North America and the highest-grossing comic-book film from May–August 2011.
The film opened solely in Australia on April 21, 2011, generating $5.8 million and placing second behind ' . The film's box office was just 1% more than
opening in Australia in 2008, Marvel's most popular release at the time. The following week, Thor opened in 56 markets and took in $89.2 million through the weekend. In total earnings, its highest-grossing countries after North America were the UK ($22.5 million), Australia ($20.1 million) and Mexico ($19.5 million).
reported a 77% approval rating with an average rating of 6.7/10 based on 264 reviews. The website's consensus reads, "A dazzling blockbuster that tempers its sweeping scope with wit, humor, and human drama, Thor is mighty Marvel entertainment."
assigned a
score of 57/100 based on reviews from 40 film critics, a mixed score on their scale.
Richard Kuipers of
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
wrote, "The hammer-hurling god of thunder kicks off this superhero summer with a bang". In the ,
liked the film "Thanks in large part to a charming, funny and winning performance from Australian actor Chris Hemsworth in the title role, Thor is the most entertaining superhero debut since the original ".
Conversely,
of the Chicago Sun-Times gave it a negative review stating, "Thor is a 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".
also disliked the film, calling it "an example of the programmed triumph of commercial calculation over imagination".
had mixed feelings, describing the film as "an aesthetic stand-off 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.
Winner/Nominee
Choice Movie Breakout: Male
The Ultimate Scream
Best Fantasy Movie
Best Superhero
Chris Hemsworth as Thor
Best Supporting Actress
Breakout Performance—Female
Jaimie Alexander
Breakout Performance—Male
Chris Hemsworth
Breakout Performance—Male
Best Comic Book Movie
Favorite Action Movie
Favorite Movie Superhero
Chris Hemsworth
Outstanding Created Environment in a Live Action Feature Motion Picture
"Heimdall's Observatory": Pierre Buffin, Audrey Ferrara, Yoel Godo, Dominique Vidal
Outstanding Virtual Cinematography in a Live Action Feature Motion Picture
Xavier Allard, Pierre Buffin, Nicolas Chevallier
Tom Hiddleston
The Art of 3D Presented by RealD
Tom Hiddleston
Best Production Design
Alexandra Byrne
Main article:
A sequel, Thor: The Dark World, directed by , was released on November 8, 2013. Hemsworth and Hiddleston reprises their roles as Thor and Loki, respectively along with others from the first film.
joins the cast as the
Further information:
Thor: Ragnarok is scheduled to be released on November 3, 2017.
and Christopher Yost will write the screenplay, with Kevin Feige again producing. Hemsworth and Hiddleston will reprise their roles as Thor and Loki, respectively.
In July 2013, the film's distribution rights were transferred from
Identified off-screen as the .
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