Disney-Marvel's "Thor: Ragnarok" is heading for a stellar opening weekend with $121 million at 4,080 North American locations -- the fourth best launch of 2017.

The third Thor movie is also putting an emphatic end to the month-long box office slump that saw the worst October in a decade. Among 2017 titles, its debut weekend trails only "Beauty and the Beast" at $174.8 million, "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2" at $146.5 million and "It" at $123.4 million.