Thor: Love and Thunder

Thor: Love and Thunder
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Taika Waititi
Written by	Taika Waititi Jennifer Kaytin Robinson
Based on	Marvel Comics
Produced by	Kevin Feige Brad Winderbaum
Starring	Chris Hemsworth Christian Bale Tessa Thompson Jaimie Alexander Taika Waititi Russell Crowe Natalie Portman
Cinematography	Barry Idoine
Edited by	Matthew Schmidt Peter S. Elliot Tim Roche Jennifer Vecchiarello
Music by	Michael Giacchino Nami Melumad
Production company	Marvel Studios
Distributed by	Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
Release dates	June 23, 2022 (2022-06-23) (El Capitan Theatre) July 8, 2022 (2022-07-08) (United States)
Running time	119 minutes[1]
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$250 million[2][3]
Box office	$760.9 million[4][5]

Thor: Love and Thunder is a 2022 American superhero film based on Marvel Comics featuring the character Thor. Produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, it is the sequel to Thor: Ragnarok (2017) and the 29th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). The film was directed by Taika Waititi, who co-wrote the screenplay with Jennifer Kaytin Robinson, and stars Chris Hemsworth as Thor alongside Christian Bale, Tessa Thompson, Jaimie Alexander, Waititi, Russell Crowe, and Natalie Portman. In the film, Thor tries to find inner peace, but must return to action and recruit Valkyrie (Thompson), Korg (Waititi), and Jane Foster (Portman)—who is now the Mighty Thor—to stop Gorr the God Butcher (Bale) from eliminating all gods.

Hemsworth and Waititi had discussed plans for a sequel to Ragnarok by January 2018. Love and Thunder was announced in July 2019, with Hemsworth, Waititi, and Thompson all set to return, as well as Portman who did not appear in Ragnarok. Waititi wanted to differentiate Love and Thunder from Ragnarok, seeking to make a romance film and 1980s-inspired adventure. He adapted elements from Jason Aaron's run on Thor comic books during the 2010s, which similarly debuted Gorr and saw Foster take on the mantle and powers of Thor whilst under treatment for cancer. Robinson joined to contribute to the script in February 2020, and further casting was revealed later that year including the appearance of the Guardians of the Galaxy. Production was expected to begin in late 2020 but was delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Filming ultimately began in January 2021 in Sydney, Australia with Barry Idoine as the director of photography, and concluded at the beginning of June.

Thor: Love and Thunder premiered at the El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles, on June 23, 2022, and was released in the United States on July 8, as part of Phase Four of the MCU. The film received mixed reviews from critics, who praised the film for its light-heartedness, action sequences, and the performances of Hemsworth, Bale and Portman, but criticized the screenplay and tonal inconsistencies; while its humor and visual effects were met with polarized responses,^[6] many critics deemed the film inferior to Ragnarok. The film grossed $760.9 million worldwide, making it the eighth-highest-grossing film of 2022, as well as the second highest-grossing film in the Thor franchise.