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Chris Hemsworth is a worldwide star whose list of movies with big opening weekends consists of international smash hits, but it wasn’t always that way. At one point, the Australian almost quit acting, but his fortunes changed once he landed the role of Thor. His latest superhero movie, Thor: Love and Thunder, could break the bank, a far cry from the Hemsworth movies with the worst opening weekends.

A few notes: We only considered starring roles or large parts in feature films, so no shorts or cameos. All figures are adjusted to 2022 dollars using an inflation calculator. Original opening weekend figures courtesy of IMDb.

Chris Hemsworth during the 2018 San Sebastian Film Festival in Spain. Hemsworth has several blockbusters on his resume but also many with the worst opening weekends of his career.
Chris Hemsworth | Carlos Alvarez/Getty Images

6. ‘In the Heart of the Sea’: $13.6 million

  • Release date: Dec. 11, 2015

Hemsworth earned top billing in this Ron Howard-directed seafaring film. In the Heart of the Sea details the real-life whale vs. boat encounter that inspired the novel Moby-Dick, and though it features a mammoth whale, it didn’t enjoy a mammoth opening weekend. It pulled in just over $11 million when it hit theaters, which translates to roughly $13.6 million today. In the Heart of the Sea earned a respectable $93.9 million worldwide, but it gave Hemsworth one of his worst opening weekends.

5. ‘Rush’: $12.5 million

  • Release date: Sept. 27, 2013

Before In the Heart of the Sea, Hemsworth and Howard teamed up for Rush, which chronicles the Formula 1 racing rivalry between James Hunt (Hemsworth) and Niki Lauda (Daniel Brühl). It features thrilling action, plenty of drama, and Hemsworth in one of his best roles, but it took some time for Rush to find the right gear. It earned just over $10 million during its first weekend ($12.5 million in 2022) on its way to $96.9 million total.

4. ‘Bad Times at the El Royale’: $8.3 million

  • Release date: Oct. 12, 2018

Hemsworth played against type as a menacing cult leader in this drama/mystery that hit theaters in the year between Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame. Hemsworth joined a star-studded cast that included Jeff Bridges, Jon Hamm, and Dakota Johnson, but the star power didn’t attract audiences. The $7.1 million Bad Times at the El Royale earned out of the gate made it one of the Hemsworth movies with the worst opening weekends.

3. ‘A Perfect Getaway’: $8.1 million

  • Release date: Aug. 7, 2009

A Perfect Getaway hit theaters a few months after Hemsworth’s debut in Star Trek, but this was his first big part in a Hollywood movie. It’s one of the few movies Hemsworth made before he started playing Thor. Its box office was far from anything the Aussie did in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Hemsworth gave a strong performance in the thriller, but it opened with $5.9 million in 2009 on its way to a $22.9 million total.

2. ‘Blackhat’: $4.8 million

  • Release date: Jan. 16, 2015

The movie Hemsworth made before Blackhat was Thor: The Dark World, which was long considered the worst MCU movie. Things didn’t get better with Hemsworth’s subsequent outing, as Blackhat stands as one of the worst Hemsworth movies. 

Hemsworth as an imprisoned hacker released so he can help the U.S. government catch a more dangerous hacker didn’t compute with moviegoers. The Michael Mann-directed thriller earned just $3.9 million ($4.8 million in 2022 dollars), giving Hemsworth the movie with the worst opening weekend after he became a star.

1. ‘Ca$h’: $22,000

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  • Release date: March 26, 2010

More than a year before he debuted as Thor, Hemsworth starred opposite Sean Bean in this thriller. Ca$h shared some similarities with No Country for Old Men — a cash-strapped man finds a briefcase full of money with seemingly no strings attached, only to find out the opposite is true. But where No Country was a critical hit, almost no one saw Ca$h. 

The film earned $16,500 its opening weekend, or roughly one-third of its $46,500 total gross. You can never say never, but it seems safe to say Ca$h will always be the Hemsworth movie with the worst opening weekend.

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