Thor Expected To Take $60 Million During Opening Weekend

Thor, the new superhero movie from Marvel Studios, is expected to take $60 million in its opening weekend at the U.S box-office, reports the Hollywood Reporter. Thor is looking to emulate the success of other recent superhero movies, most notably 'X-Men', 'Fantastic Four', 'Iron Man' and 'Spider-Man'.

The movie, directed by Kenneth Branagh, has already grossed $125 million overseas and its popularity is expected to continue in the United States. The movie, based on the comic book character of the same name, is being released in 3D and IMAX 3D. The film stars Chris Hemsworth, OSCAR winning actress Natalie Portman, screen veteran Anthony Hopkins and Stellan Skarsgard. Speaking about why he took on the project, Branagh told the Irish Times, "I mean, we wanted to take the job itself seriously, and when I became involved it was because I knew the comic it was based on and I knew the character. I used to read it growing up". Also opening this weekend is the Warner Bros romantic comedy 'Something Borrowed' starring Kate Hudson and the highly anticipated Jodie Foster movie 'The Beaver', starring Mel Gibson, who has already gained rave reviews for his portrayal of a depressed father who decides to solely communicate through the medium of a beaver hand-puppet.

Thor, which was filmed between January and May 2010, had an estimated budget of $150 million, which it should comfortably recoup in full after this week's opening weekend in the U.S.