Thor: Ragnarok continues to dominate at the box office, with estimates showing it will easily win its second weekend at home. For years, the summer season was the home for big blockbusters and tentpoles. Recent years, however, have proven the right film can do well whenever it’s released. Deadpool 2 and Logan, for instance, both found success in the early spring, and films like IT showed September can be just as lucrative as July. Thor: Ragnarok, meanwhile, is further proof that the holiday season is gaining ground as the summer is losing it.


After opening early in a number of international markets, Thor: Ragnarok broke box office records with its domestic debut this past weekend. Thanks to its two-week rollout, the film ended its first weekend in the States by cracking $400 million globally. This success comes in a year when theater chains are hurting and the summer box office has seen record lows. Marvel, meanwhile, now have their third hit of the year and their biggest Thor film yet.


Deadline is reporting that Thor: Ragnarok is set to win big in its second weekend at the domestic box office, with tracking showing a $60M haul. As the outlet notes, that would be just shy of the $65.2M Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 earned during its second weekend in the U.S. earlier this year. The impressive numbers for a November release point towards just how much audiences are responding to the irreverent spectacle of Taika Waititi’s Thor movie.


Ragnarok grossed an additional $10.8M in the U.S. on Tuesday, bringing its domestic box office total to $141.8M in the process. Once the weekend is over, Thor: Ragnarok will shoot past the half a billion mark. In fact, once the international numbers are in, the film could make that distinction as early as tomorrow.


Thanks to the success of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Spider-Man: Homecoming, and now Thor: Ragnarok, the MCU passed the $5 billion mark at the domestic box office this past weekend. What’s more, it’s now at $13 billion globally and shows no signs of slowing down. Ragnarok‘s success also proves that Marvel’s investment in idiosyncratic directors is a smart move, and that their narrative and tonal risks are resonating with audiences.


Not a year has gone by since The Avengers dominated the box office that critics haven’t speculated on the death of the superhero genre. If anything, Marvel’s continual output has proven that the growing field is actually allowing for more innovation. While run-of-the-mill superhero movies may not fully resonate with audiences, moviegoers are eager to see the established genre tweaked and played with. The future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe may include even more unique and interesting takes on the superhero genre, and Thor: Ragnarok will have been a big part of that.