Marvel Studios’ Thor: The Dark World stormed to the top of the North American charts on an estimated $86.1m to produce the ninth biggest November debut in history.

Alan Taylor directed the superhero sequel starring the returning key cast of Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston, Natalie Portman, Anthony Hopkins and Idris Elba.

IMAX accounted for around $5.3m after the decision for IMAX to carry the film was finalised last week.

Overall box office gained 35.1% on the previous weekend and dropped a point or so against the same weekend of 2012, when Skyfall debuted at number one on $88.4m.

Paramount’s Bad Grandpa at number two climbed to $78.7m in its third weekend, while in a pair of second weekend holds Relativity’s Free Birds in third place reached $30.2m and CBS Films’ Last Vegas at number four climbed to $33.5m.

Last weekend’s champion Ender’s Game fell 62% to number five on $10.3m for $44m.

12 Years A Slave held firm at number seven through Fox Searchlight and expanded by 734 into 1,144 theatres in the fourth weekend, adding $6.6m for $17.3m.

In its second weekend the awards season contender Dallas Buyers Club expanded from nine to 35 sites and added $629,000 through Focus Features for $985,000.

Fox opened its potential awards contender The Book Thief on $108,000 from four for a solid $27,000 average. SPC launched Alex Gibney’s documentary The Armstrong Lie on $30,900 from five.

Next weekend’s wide release is Universal’s The Best Man Holiday starring Morris Chestnut, Taye Diggs, Regina Hall, Terrence Howard, Sanaa Lathan, Nia Long and Harold Perrineau.

Estimated Top 10 North America Nov 8-10 2013
Film (Dist) / Est wkd gross / Est total to date
1 (-) Thor: The Dark World (Buena Vista) WDSMPI $86.1m –
2 (2) Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa (Paramount) PPI $11.3m $78.7m
3 (4) Free Birds (Relativity Media) Relativity International $11.2m $30.2m
4 (3) Last Vegas (CBS Films) Good Universe $11.1m $33.5m
5 (1) Ender’s Game (Lionsgate-Summit) Sierra/Affinity $10.3m $44m
6 (5) Gravity (Warner Bros) WBPI $8.4m $231.1m
7 (7) 12 Years A Slave (Fox Searchlight) Lionsgate International $6.6m $17.3m
8 (6) Captain Phillips (Sony) SPRI $5.8m $90.9m
9 (13) About Time (Universal) UPI $5.2m $6.7m
10 (8) Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs 2 (Sony) SPRI $2.8m $109.9m

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