Lightning has struck twice for the God of Thunder: "Thor: The Dark World" opened this weekend to $86.1 million in North America, blowing away the $65.7 million the first "Thor" brought in during its opening weekend in May of 2011.

Per The Hollywood Reporter, the latest film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe brought in $327 million in worldwide ticket sales, well on its way to topping the first film's $449.3 million global total. "Thor: The Dark World" opened outside North America in 36 countries last weekend, bringing in with $109 million.

The film, which stars Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston, Anthony Hopkins, Natalie Portman, and Idris Elba, was directed by Alan Taylor.

THR credits the sequel's appeal to couples, who, according to the trade, made up 62 percent of the audience.

"It played in an unconventional way," said Disney's distribution chief Dave Hollis. "The franchise is moving away from just fanboys and crossing into the mainstream in a way that makes out-of-school, out-of-work Saturday shows super lucrative. The combination of storytelling and very successful, inspired marketing campaign made it appeal to the broadest possible audience."

While "The Dark World" topped the North American box office, "Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa" came in at No. 2 in its third weekend with $11.3 million for the weekend and a domestic total of $78.2 million. The animated "Free Birds" grossed $11.2 million in its second weekend for a domestic total of $30.2 million, while "Last Vegas" took in $11.1 million in its second weekend for a total of $33.5 million domestically. "Ender's Game," which opened last weekend, placed No. 5, earning $10.3 million for a domestic total of $44 million.