‘Thor’ reigns top box-office spot with $38.5M

NEW YORK — In an unlikely battle of sequels, “Thor: The Dark World” bested “The Best Man Holiday” at the box office.

Disney’s “Thor: The Dark World” continued its box-office reign with $38.5 million in its second week of release, according to studio estimates Sunday. Opening 15 years after the original “The Best Man,” Universal’s “The Best Man Holiday” opened strongly with $30.6 million.

Drawing an overwhelmingly female and African-American audience, “The Best Man Holiday” was a surprise challenger for the mighty “Thor.” The R-rated romantic comedy, with an ensemble cast including Morris Chestnut and Taye Diggs, debuted with more than three times the box office of 1999’s “The Best Man.” That film opened with $9 million.

Marvel’s Norse superhero, however, has been hammering audiences around the globe. “Thor: The Dark World” made $52.5 million internationally over the weekend, bringing its worldwide total to $479.8 million. With Chris Hemsworth as the title character and Tom Hiddleston as the popular villain Loki, the Thor franchise has proven to be one of Marvel’s most successful.

Just as “Thor” approached the half-billion mark, Warner Bros.’ space adventure “Gravity” crossed it in its seventh week of release.

“The Best Man Holiday” was the only new wide-release opening over the weekend, as the marketplace clears out for the release of “Hunger Games: Catching Fire.” In limited release, Alexander Payne’s black-and-white Midwest road trip “Nebraska” opened in four locations with a strong $35,000 per theater average for Paramount Pictures.

Martin Scorsese’s “The Wolf of Wall Street” was originally slated to open, but was postponed to Dec. 25 by Paramount.

Expected to be one of the year’s biggest debuts, Lionsgate’s “Catching Fire” will abruptly close the box-office window for “Thor” next weekend. “Catching Fire” opened in Brazil over the weekend, earning $6.3 million.

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Rentrak. Where available, latest international numbers for Friday through Sunday are also included. Final domestic figures will be released Monday.

1. “Thor: The Dark World,” $38.5 million ($52.5 million international).

2. “The Best Man Holiday,” $30.6 million.

3. “Last Vegas,” $8.9 million.

4. “Free Birds,” $8.3 million.

5. “Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa,” $7.7 million.

6. “Gravity,” $6.3 million.

7. “Ender’s Game,” $6.2 million.

8. “12 Years a Slave,” $4.7 million.

9. “Captain Phillips,” $4.5 million.

10. “About Time,” $3.5 million.