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Thor: Ragnarok

Thor: Ragnarok is a 2017 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics character Thor, produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. It is the sequel to Thor (2011) and Thor: The Dark World (2013), and is the 17th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). The film was directed by Taika Waititi from a screenplay by Eric Pearson and the writing team of Craig Kyle and Christopher Yost, and stars Chris Hemsworth as Thor alongside Tom Hiddleston, Cate Blanchett, Idris Elba, Jeff Goldblum, Tessa Thompson, Karl Urban, Mark Ruffalo, and Anthony Hopkins. In Thor: Ragnarok, Thor must escape the alien planet Sakaar in time to save Asgard from Hela (Blanchett) and the impending Ragnarök.

"Thor 3" redirects here. For the satellite of the same name, see Thor (satellite) § Thor 3.

Thor: Ragnarok

Taika Waititi

Kevin Feige

Javier Aguirresarobe

Mark Mothersbaugh

Walt Disney Studios
Motion Pictures

  • October 10, 2017 (2017-10-10) (El Capitan Theatre)
  • November 3, 2017 (2017-11-03) (United States)

130 minutes[1]

United States

English

$180 million[2]

$865 million[2]

A third Thor film was confirmed in January 2014, when Kyle and Yost began work on the screenplay. The involvement of Hemsworth and Hiddleston was announced that October. Waititi joined the film as director a year later, after Thor: The Dark World director Alan Taylor chose not to return. Ruffalo joined the cast reprising the role of Hulk from previous MCU films, which allowed elements of the 2006 comic storyline "Planet Hulk" to be adapted for Ragnarok. The rest of the cast, including Blanchett as Hela, was confirmed in May 2016, with Pearson's involvement revealed at the start of filming that July. Principal photography took place in Brisbane and Sydney, Australia, with the film also having exclusive use of Village Roadshow Studios in Oxenford, concluding in October 2016.


Thor: Ragnarok premiered at the El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles, on October 10, 2017, and was released in the United States on November 3, as part of Phase Three of the MCU. The film received praise for its acting and Waititi's direction, as well as the action sequences, visual effects, musical score, and humor, with many critics considering it to be the best installment of the Thor franchise. It grossed $855 million, becoming the highest-grossing film of the series and the ninth-highest-grossing film of 2017. A sequel, Thor: Love and Thunder, was released in July 2022.

Plot[edit]

Two years after the battle of Sokovia,[a] Thor is imprisoned by the fire demon Surtur, who reveals that Thor's father Odin is no longer on Asgard. He explains that the realm will soon be destroyed during the prophesied apocalypse Ragnarök, once Surtur unites his crown with the Eternal Flame that burns in Odin's vault. Thor frees himself, defeats Surtur, and takes his crown, believing he has prevented Ragnarök. Thor returns to Asgard to find Heimdall gone and his estranged brother Loki posing as Odin. He forces Loki to help find their father, who Loki put a spell on after his presumed sacrifice years before.


With directions from Stephen Strange, they find Odin in Norway. Unpossessed, Odin explains that he is dying, Ragnarök is imminent despite Thor's efforts, and his passing will free his firstborn child, Hela, from Hel, a prison she was sealed in long ago. Hela, a sibling Thor and Loki did not know existed, was the leader of Asgard's armies and conquered the Nine Realms with Odin, but he imprisoned her and wrote her out of history after she became too bloodthirsty and did not share his views on peace.


Odin dies and Hela appears, destroying Thor's hammer Mjolnir. She pursues the two as they attempt to flee through the Bifröst Bridge, forcing them out into space. Arriving in Asgard, Hela defeats its army, slays the Warriors Three, and resurrects the ancient dead who once fought with her, including her giant wolf Fenris. She appoints the Asgardian Skurge as her executioner. Hela plans to use the Bifröst to expand Asgard's empire, but Heimdall takes the sword that controls the Bifröst. Thor crash-lands on Sakaar, a garbage planet surrounded by wormholes.


A slave trader designated Scrapper 142 subdues him with an obedience disk and sells him as a gladiator to Sakaar's ruler, the Grandmaster, with whom Loki has already ingratiated himself. Thor recognizes 142 as a Valkyrie, one of a legendary force of female warriors who were killed fighting Hela eons ago. Thor is forced to compete in the Grandmaster's Contest of Champions, facing his friend Hulk. Summoning lightning, Thor gets the upper hand, but the Grandmaster sabotages the fight to ensure Hulk's victory. Still enslaved after the fight, Thor attempts to convince Hulk and 142 to help him save Asgard, but neither is willing.


Thor finds the Quinjet that brought Hulk to Sakaar. A recording of Natasha Romanoff causes Hulk to transform back into Bruce Banner for the first time since Sokovia. 142 decides to help Thor save Asgard. Loki helps them steal one of the Grandmaster's ships. They liberate the other gladiators who, incited by two aliens named Korg and Miek, stage a revolution. Loki again attempts to betray his brother, but Thor anticipates this and incapacitates him.


Thor, Banner, and 142 escape through a wormhole to Asgard, where Hela's forces attack Heimdall and the Asgardian citizens. Hulk defeats Fenris; Loki and the gladiators arrive to help, and a repentant Skurge sacrifices himself to save the citizens. Thor, battling Hela, loses his right eye and has a vision of Odin that helps him realize only Ragnarök can stop her, as she is too powerful. He sends Loki to trigger Ragnarök by placing Surtur's crown in the Eternal Flame. Surtur is reborn and destroys Asgard, killing Hela. Aboard the Grandmaster's spaceship, the Statesman, Thor, now king, reconciles with Loki and decides to take his people to Earth.


In a mid-credits scene, they are intercepted by a large spacecraft.[b] In a post-credits scene, the overthrown Grandmaster is confronted by his former subjects.

as Thor:
An Avenger and the crown prince of Asgard, based on the Norse mythological deity of the same name, who has become a "lone gunslinger" searching for the Infinity Stones.[3][5] Hemsworth had grown "a bit bored" of Thor after portraying the character four times previously, and wanted to take some risks and experiment: Thor has shorter hair in the film, wears a different outfit, his hammer Mjolnir is destroyed,[6] and he loses an eye. Director Taika Waititi added that "stripping" the character down like this allowed him to become a refugee at the end of the film.[7] Waititi also wanted to use more of Hemsworth's comedic skills showcased in films such as Vacation (2015) and Ghostbusters (2016),[8] and cited Kurt Russell's performance in Big Trouble in Little China (1986) as an influence on the character.[9]

Chris Hemsworth

as Loki:
Thor's adoptive brother and nemesis, based on the deity of the same name.[10][11] Hiddleston was interested in how Loki's attitude has changed, saying, "he is always a trickster. It is trying to find new ways for him to be mischievous".[12] As the ruler of Asgard since the end of Thor: The Dark World (2013), Hiddleston notes that "Loki has devoted most of his efforts to narcissistic self-glorification. Not so much on good governance."[13] He also added that "the idea that Thor might be indifferent to Loki is troubling for him... it's an interesting development."[14]

Tom Hiddleston

as Hela:
Thor's older sister and the goddess of death, based on the deity Hel,[11][15][16] who is inadvertently released from prison following Odin's death.[17] Screenwriter Eric Pearson included the idea of Hela being Thor's sister in one of his drafts at the encouragement of executive producer Brad Winderbaum. The decision to make Hela related to Thor, as opposed to only Loki as in the comics and Norse mythology, came from needing more impact with Hela and Thor's final confrontation. By making the change, Pearson felt Hela became "the thing that [represents] what it is to rule Asgard, [Thor's] family, what he's been told, what he hasn't been told."[18] Blanchett was inspired by singer Siouxsie Sioux as well as "punk-rock iconography" of the 1970s and 1980s, notably Siouxsie's "unique, unconventional movement", for Hela's movement and how she "commands the space".[19] Blanchett found it difficult to portray the character in a motion capture suit rather than costume, feeling Hela's headdress is "such a huge part of" the power of the character that she would have liked to wear it on set.[20] Hela's design was taken from the comic Thor: God of Thunder by Jason Aaron, while the character Gorr from that comic, who has the ability "to manifest an infinite number of weapons", inspired a similar ability for Hela.[21] Blanchett worked with stuntwoman Zoë Bell and Hemsworth's personal trainer Luke Zocchi, and studied capoeira for the role.[6][17]

Cate Blanchett

as Heimdall:
The all-seeing, all-hearing Asgardian and former sentry of the Bifröst Bridge, based on the deity of the same name, who has gone into self-imposed exile during Loki's reign.[11][22][23] After Hela invades Asgard, he helps to hide its vulnerable citizens. Describing Heimdall's character arc in the film, Winderbaum says, "he's gone from this elder statesmen, the gatekeeper to Asgard, to this badass warrior-wizard character who lives in the hills and kicks a lot of ass throughout the entire film."[23]

Idris Elba

as Grandmaster:
One of the Elders of the Universe[13][24] who rules the planet Sakaar[8] and enjoys manipulating lesser life-forms.[11][25] Goldblum described the character as "a hedonist, a pleasure-seeker, an enjoyer of life and tastes and smells". He also said that Waititi encouraged improvisation in order for Goldblum to "make [the character his] own".[26] Waititi explained that Grandmaster does not have blue skin in the film as the character does in the comics, because Goldblum had already played a blue-colored character in Earth Girls Are Easy (1988), and because Waititi did not want to detract from Goldblum's personality by concealing his appearance.[27] Grandmaster is the brother of Benicio del Toro's Collector from Guardians of the Galaxy (2014), and producer Kevin Feige expressed interest in seeing the two together in a future film.[28]

Jeff Goldblum

as Valkyrie:
A tough, hard-drinking Asgardian slave trader,[8] based on the mythological being Brynhildr,[29] who was once a legendary Valkyrie warrior and now works for the Grandmaster under the designation "Scrapper 142".[23] Thompson said the various versions of the character from the comics "left us a lot of leeway" in creating the film version.[21] Waititi "wanted to make sure we weren't making a female character that was boring and pretty",[30] and Feige said Marvel wanted to pair Thor with a love interest more his equal than Jane Foster.[31] Co-screenwriters Craig Kyle and Christopher Yost's original draft of the film had more of a romantic relationship between Thor and Valkyrie. When Pearson started working on the film, he moved away from that storyline, instead focusing more on "the mutual respect" between the characters and Valkyrie "dealing with her PTSD. She's someone who's drowning her sorrows in the bottle, and I just thought that was such a cool thing that you don't often see".[18] Thompson stated that the character is bisexual, which she based on the character's comic book relationship with Annabelle Riggs, and convinced Waititi to shoot a glimpse of a woman walking out of Valkyrie's bedroom, which was later cut from the film, as it "distracted" from the scene's exposition.[32] Thompson was inspired by pictures of Linda Hamilton as Sarah Connor in Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991) while training for the role,[30] and worked with dialect coach Andrew Jack to create an Asgardian-sounding accent that was different enough to sound like she had been away from there for a long time.[33] Thompson will appear in future MCU films.[11][34]

Tessa Thompson

as Skurge:
An Asgardian warrior[11][25] who guards the Bifröst Bridge in Heimdall's absence and chooses to join Hela to survive.[20][22] Urban shaved his head for the role, and worked out to "get into the zone and feel" the part even though his body is hidden under a costume.[35] Urban said Skurge "makes a deal with the devil" and becomes Hela's "henchman. He does the dirty jobs. And that sort of is something he has to—it plays on his conscience."[22]

Karl Urban

as Bruce Banner / Hulk:
An Avenger and a genius scientist who transforms into a monster when enraged or agitated after being exposed to gamma radiation. In the two years since Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015), he has become a successful and popular gladiator on Sakaar[8][36] and has suppressed the Banner side during those years. He is forming the vocabulary "of a toddler",[13] with the level of Hulk's speech being "a big conversation" between Waititi and Marvel since it was taking into account future appearances for the character:[37] Ragnarok begins an arc for the character that continues in Avengers: Infinity War (2018) and Avengers: Endgame (2019).[38] Ruffalo felt Hulk had "a swagger" in the film, and was "much more of a character than the green rage machine" seen in the Avengers films.[8] Waititi provided additional motion capture for the Hulk after Ruffalo had completed his scenes.[39]

Mark Ruffalo

as Odin:
The king of Asgard, father of Thor and Hela, and adoptive father of Loki, based on the deity of the same name.[11] The character is in exile on Earth, and was originally intended to be a "crazy-looking" hobo on the streets of New York City, but Waititi ultimately felt that this was tragic rather than funny given the character's death during the sequence. The sequence was changed to take place in Norway, to "honor" the character's past and be more authentic to his role as a king of Asgard.[40] Waititi was surprised by the improvisational ability of Hopkins after he was told "to be funny and to really destroy what's come before [with the role] and recreate it."[39]

Anthony Hopkins

Additionally, Tadanobu Asano, Ray Stevenson, and Zachary Levi reprise their roles as Hogun, Volstagg, and Fandral, respectively, members of the Warriors Three.[23][41] Feige called their appearances "noble ends" that served to establish the threat of Hela and the danger she poses to the main characters.[42] Benedict Cumberbatch reprises his role as Dr. Stephen Strange from the film Doctor Strange (2016) on a brief appearance.[43] Rachel House, who has appeared in several of Waititi's films, plays Topaz, the Grandmaster's chief enforcer,[20][44] while Waititi portrays Korg, a Kronan gladiator who befriends Thor. Waititi provided a motion-capture performance for the character, who is made of rocks, and wanted to do something different by having the character be soft-spoken,[45][46] ultimately basing Korg's voice on that of Polynesian bouncers, as well as his friend and frequent co-star, Rhys Darby.[47][48] Waititi also provided the motion-capture performance for the fire demon Surtur, based on the mythological being Surtr, with Clancy Brown voicing the character.[49] Thor and Hulk co-creator Stan Lee makes a cameo appearance as a man on Sakaar who cuts Thor's hair.[50] There are also several cameos in a sequence where Asgardian actors perform a play based on the events of The Dark World: Sam Neill, with whom Waititi previously worked on Hunt for the Wilderpeople (2016), plays the Odin actor;[51][52] Luke Hemsworth, brother of Chris, plays the Thor actor; Matt Damon plays the Loki actor;[52] and Charlotte Nicdao plays the Sif actor.[53] Scarlett Johansson appears as Natasha Romanoff / Black Widow through archival footage from Avengers: Age of Ultron.[54]

Production[edit]

Development[edit]

While promoting the release of Thor: The Dark World in October 2013, Chris Hemsworth expressed willingness to portray Thor for as long as "people wanted more", adding that he was contracted for another Thor film and two more Avengers films.[55] Producer Kevin Feige stated that the next Thor would build from elements at the end of The Dark World.[56] In January 2014, Marvel announced that Craig Kyle and Christopher Yost would write the screenplay for a third film, with Feige again producing;[57] the story was being outlined that July.[58] At the end of October 2014, Feige announced that the film would be titled Thor: Ragnarok, with a scheduled release date of July 28, 2017. Hemsworth and Tom Hiddleston were set to return as Thor and Loki, respectively.[3][10] Hemsworth earned $15 million for the film.[59] Feige added that the film would be "very important" in Phase Three of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU),[60] and also confirmed that, in the context of the film, the word Ragnarok means "the end of all things".[61] He felt that "people will [not] read into that title alone what the movie's going to be."[62]


In February 2015, Marvel pushed back the release date to November 3, 2017.[63] That April, Feige was expecting a draft for the film soon,[64] and a month later he stated that a director, additional screenwriter, and further casting announcements would be revealed "towards the end of the summer",[65] with filming set for June 2016.[66] The Dark World director Alan Taylor explained that he would not be returning, as "the Marvel experience was particularly wrenching because I was sort of given absolute freedom while we were shooting, and then in [post-production] it turned into a different movie. So, that is something I hope never to repeat and don't wish upon anybody else."[67] During the 2015 San Diego Comic-Con International, Jaimie Alexander said that she would reprise her role as Sif in "a very pivotal part" of the film.[68][69]

Marketing[edit]

At the 2016 San Diego Comic-Con, a physical model of Hulk's gladiator armor was revealed,[152] concept art and rough animatics were shown,[124] and a "mockumentary" short titled Team Thor was screened. Directed by Waititi, it showed what Thor and Banner were doing during the events of Civil War,[124][153] with Daley Pearson appearing as Thor's Australian flatmate Darryl Jacobson. The short was released online in August 2016,[153] and with the digital download of Captain America: Civil War the following month.[154] Team Thor: Part 2 was released on the home media of Doctor Strange in February 2017, with Pearson reprising his role.[153][155] Footage and concept art for the film were shown at CinemaCon 2017.[156]


On April 10, 2017, the first teaser trailer was released. Sandy Schaefer of Screen Rant felt it was "a strong start" for the film, having "a distinctly playful vibe" by setting it to "Immigrant Song".[157] The Verge's Chaim Gartenberg said "this may be the weirdest Marvel movie to date" thanks to the costumes, makeup, and '80s aesthetic.[158] Michael Arbeiter for Nerdist was pleased with the teaser, stating, "nothing in the MCU thus far can hold a candle to the imagination promised by this ... have any of [the previous MCU films] felt this beholden to what we've always known and loved as the adventure genre?"[159] The teaser was viewed 136 million times in 24 hours, the third-highest in that time frame, behind The Fate of the Furious (139 million) and It (197 million). It also became Disney and Marvel's most viewed trailer within that time period, surpassing Beauty and the Beast (127 million) and Captain America: Civil War (94 million), respectively.[160] The line from the trailer of Thor saying Hulk "is a friend from work" was suggested to Hemsworth by a Make-A-Wish child visiting the set on the day the scene was filmed.[161]


Props and costumes from the film were on display at D23 Expo 2017 along with set pieces for photo opportunities.[162] The costumes were also on display at the 2017 San Diego Comic-Con,[163] where Waititi and cast members promoted the film. Exclusive clips were shown, along with a new trailer.[13][24] Ethan Anderton of /Film felt "the blend of comedy and bright, vibrant comic book action" in the trailer was "incredible".[164] Collider's Haleigh Foutch was "in love with this trailer" and "all in" on the film.[165] Germain Lussier for io9 called the trailer "a two-and-a-half-minute ball of action, awesomeness, humor, and insanity that may be the most purely fun Marvel movie trailer we've ever seen."[166] The poster also released was praised, being called by Anthony Couto from Comic Book Resources as "quite stunning", "insanely colorful", and "perfectly symmetrical",[167] with Matt Goldberg of Collider feeling it "really [lets] you know that this Thor movie is going to be radically different than the first two".[168] Due to the Comic-Con presentation, Thor: Ragnarok generated over 264,000 new conversations on social media from July 17 to 23, the most out of any film during that time period, according to Comscore and its PreAct service.[169] It remained the most-discussed film on social media for two more weeks.[170][171]


In August 2017, Marvel partnered with car manufacturer Renault on a commercial supporting the release of the Kwid in Brazil. Directed by Jonathan Gurvit and shot in São Paulo, it features the Hulk destroying a satellite headed towards the city. Framestore worked on visual effects for the commercial, building on the foundation they had from working on the character in previous films.[172][173] Also in August, Marvel, in partnership with Dolby Laboratories, Synchrony Bank, American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), Broadcom Masters, and Society for Science & the Public, announced the "Superpower of STEM Challenge", aimed at females aged 15 through 18 in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics education) fields, to "create an original Do-It-Yourself project that can be replicated by others" and "help their family, community or the world be safer, healthier or happier". Five winners would attend the film's world premiere, receive a tour of Walt Disney Studios, and a $500 saving account from Synchrony Bank, with one grand prize winner attending "an immersive three-day mentorship in New York City with Disney Imagineering" to create a "professional-level video teaching other young people how to recreate" their winning project. They were also given the opportunity to demonstrate the project on Good Morning America.[174]


For the week of August 21, Ragnarok once again had the most social media conversations, according to comScore and its PreAct service. New clips of Thor and Hulk fighting, released on the same day as the Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Conor McGregor fight, helped generate the 57,000 new conversations for the week.[175] From September 25 to October 15, Ragnarok had the second-most social media conversations according to the service,[176][177] and was once again first for the week of October 16 following the release of extended clips and plot details.[178] Beginning October 6, 2017, Disney California Adventure showed a sneak peek of the film at the Sunset Showcase Theater in Hollywood Land, presented in 3D with "special in-theater effects".[179] Ahead of the United States release of the film, Hemsworth, Hiddleston, Blanchett, Goldblum, Ruffalo, and Thompson appeared with James Corden on The Late Late Show with James Corden to present a "4D" version of the film, which was actually a stage play. The cast performed various scenes from the film live in low-budget costumes and with cardboard stage props.[180] Additional promotional partners of the film included Red Robin, United Healthcare, and Screenvision Media.[181]

Reception[edit]

Box office[edit]

Thor: Ragnarok grossed $316 million in the United States and Canada, and $539 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $855 million.[2] In September 2017, a survey from Fandango indicated that Ragnarok was the most anticipated fall film.[194] On the weekend of November 3, 2017, the film earned $25.4 million from IMAX showings, surpassing Doctor Strange as the largest for a November weekend.[181] The film had earned $650.1 million globally, surpassing the total grosses for Thor ($449.3 million) and Thor: The Dark World ($644.6 million), by the end of its third weekend.[195][196] It became the ninth-highest-grossing film of 2017.[197] Deadline Hollywood calculated the film's net profit as $174.2 million, accounting for production budgets, marketing, talent participations, and other costs; box office grosses and home media revenues placed it eighth on their list of 2017's "Most Valuable Blockbusters".[198]


Thor: Ragnarok earned $46.8 million on its opening day in the United States and Canada (including $14.5 million from Thursday night previews), and had a total weekend gross of $122.7 million, which was the top film for the weekend, the sixth-best November opening, and the largest opening for all Thor films. IMAX contributed $12.2 million, which was the second-best IMAX opening of 2017 and its third-best November opening. The film's earnings on Sunday ($32.1 million), was the second-best Sunday in November after The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (2013) ($34.5 million).[181] The film had been projected to gross $100–125 million in its opening weekend.[199][200] Ragnarok remained the number one film in its second weekend, having earned a total of $211.6 million, which surpassed the entire runs of Thor ($181 million) and The Dark World ($206.4 million).[201] In its third weekend, Thor: Ragnarok fell to third at the box office,[202] and fourth in its fourth and fifth weekends.[203][204] The film surpassed its projected total domestic gross of $280 million in its fifth weekend with $291.4 million,[204][205] Thor: Ragnarok was fifth in its sixth weekend,[206] and seventh in its seventh weekend, the final weekend it remained in the top 10.[207]


Outside the United States and Canada, the film opened in 36 markets in its first weekend, ranking first in all, and earning $109.1 million, $6 million of which came from 189 IMAX screens. The United Kingdom opening ($16.2 million) was the best October opening for a non-James Bond film. South Korea ($15.7 million), Australia ($8.4 million), Brazil ($8.1 million), Indonesia ($5.5 million), Taiwan ($5.4 million), the Philippines ($3.8 million), Malaysia ($3.5 million), New Zealand, Vietnam, Argentina, Colombia, Chile, Bosnia, Bulgaria, Croatia, and South Africa had the best October opening weekend ever, while France ($7.7 million) had the second-best. Brazil also had the third-best debut for an MCU film, while New Zealand's opening was the biggest of 2017.[208] In its second weekend, Ragnarok opened at number one in 19 more markets, with the largest November opening ever in China ($56.3 million, including $6 million from 446 IMAX screens), Mexico ($10.8 million), Germany ($8.9 million), and India ($5.5 million). It also remained at number one in many existing markets. The film earned an additional $13.2 million from 788 IMAX screens, the best November opening.[209] In its third weekend, the film remained at number one in over 30 countries, and became the highest-grossing superhero film in the Czech Republic.[196] By its fifth weekend, Ragnarok had become the highest-grossing superhero film in central and eastern Europe.[210] As of December 10, 2017, the film's largest markets were China ($112 million), the United Kingdom ($40.4 million), and South Korea ($35.1 million).[197]

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