Thor: Ragnarok continues box office reign; Daddy's Home 2 edging Orient Express

The god of thunder is still making rain. Thor: Ragnarok is on track to gross an estimated $56.6 million during its second weekend in U.S. and Canadian theaters, continuing its box office domination as Daddy’s Home 2 and Murder on the Orient Express battle for the No. 2 spot. That activity should come as welcome news in Hollywood after a sluggish October.

Bolstered by strong reviews and good word of mouth (as evidenced by an A CinemaScore) Ragnarok is poised to decline 54 percent from its debut weekend, bringing its domestic total to $211.6 million after 10 days in theaters. The film, which marks the third installment of Disney’s Thor franchise and the 17th film in the Marvel cinematic universe, has also grossed about $438.5 million overseas, with $75.9 million of that coming in this weekend.

Taika Waititi directed Ragnarok, which finds Chris Hemsworth’s hammer-wielding superhero teaming up with Mark Ruffalo’s Hulk to battle the goddess of death, Hela (Cate Blanchett). Tom Hiddleston, Tessa Thompson, and Jeff Goldblum also costar.

In a showdown for second place, Paramount’s comedy sequel Daddy’s Home 2 is edging out Fox’s whodunit Murder on the Orient Express, with both movies coming in at the higher end of analysts’ projections.

Daddy’s Home 2 is on track to take in about $30 million — higher than the estimated $28.2 million of Orient Express but 23 percent lower than the $38.7 million managed by the original Daddy’s Home in 2015. Like its predecessor, Daddy’s Home 2 has been shredded by movie critics, although it fared better with moviegoers, earning an A-minus CinemaScore (an improvement on the original’s B-plus).

Once again starring Will Ferrell as a mild-mannered stepfather who engages in a rivalry with with his wife’s macho ex-husband (Mark Wahlberg), Daddy’s Home 2 ups the ante by bringing in those characters’ own dads, played by John Lithgow and Mel Gibson. Sean Anders returned to direct.

Murder on the Orient Express, meanwhile, is close behind despite receiving mixed reviews and a tepid B CinemaScore. Directed by Kenneth Branagh, who also stars as the brilliant Belgian detective Hercule Poirot, the mystery comes as the second big-screen adaptation of Agatha Christie’s 1934 novel about a seemingly inexplicable slaying aboard a snowbound train. The ensemble cast includes Johnny Depp, Michelle Pfeiffer, Penélope Cruz, Judi Dench, Daisy Ridley, and Leslie Odom Jr.

In line for fourth place is another comedy sequel, STX’s A Bad Mom’s Christmas. It’s on track to gross about $11.5 million, which represents a decline of just 31 percent from its debut last weekend, suggesting the film could have staying power. Lionsgate’s horror reboot Jigsaw rounds out the top five with an estimated $3.4 million.

In limited release, Fox Searchlight’s critically acclaimed black comedy Three Billboards Outside of Ebbing Missouri is poised to take in about $320,000 from just four locations; that works out to a per-theater average of $80,000, one of the highest such figures of the year. Directed by Martin McDonagh (In Bruges), the film stars Frances McDormand as a grieving mother who calls out local authorities for their lack of progress in finding her daughter’s killer.

Also on the specialty front, Greta Gerwig’s buzzed-about directorial debut, Lady Bird, is set to crack the top 10 in its second weekend, with an estimated $1.2 million from just 37 theaters. A24 released the coming-of-age tale, starring Saoirse Ronan, Laurie Metcalf, and Tracy Letts.

According to ComScore, overall box office is down 4.9 percent year-to-date. Check out the Nov. 10-12 figures below.

1. Thor: Ragnarok — $56.6 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 — $3.4 million
6. Boo 2: A Madea Halloween — $2.1 million
7. Geostorm — $1.5 million
8. Blade Runner 2049 — $1.4 million
9. Happy Death Day — $1.3 million
10. Lady Bird — $1.2 million