The Bland Location Thor: Love And Thunder Used To Film Its Mythic Story

"Thor: Love and Thunder" is another thrilling entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. During its opening weekend, the movie nabbed $143 million at the domestic box office (via Variety), proving that audiences will continue to show up in droves for the God of Thunder (Chris Hemsworth) in a post-"Avengers: Endgame" world. Directed by "Thor: Ragnarok" helmer Taika Waititi, "Love and Thunder" is another '80s-influenced, colorful romp through space that's filled with impressive locales and set pieces.

The "Thor" films have always featured some of Marvel's most breathtaking visuals, which shouldn't come as much of a surprise considering the franchise has consistently blended fantasy and sci-fi flavors to create unique designs. And needless to say, to bring these lush and intricate visuals to life, a bevy of special effects are put to use. One need only see how Marvel movies look before the effects are added to understand how important they are to the franchise. Over a dozen visual effects companies are responsible for bringing the world of "Love and Thunder" to life, including Lucasfilm's Industrial Light & Magic (via Art of VFX).

It is perhaps a testament to this tech wizardry that one of the film's stars revealed that a particularly stunning scene was actually filmed in one of the most ordinary environments imaginable. 

After a hiatus from the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Natalie Portman has returned as Jane Foster for "Thor: Love and Thunder," this time with the power to wield Mjölnir. As she joins Thor, Korg (Taika Waititi), and Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson) on a mission to save the world, Foster is taken to a bevy of diverse realms and planets. While discussing her third proper appearance in the MCU, Portman revealed to Entertainment Weekly that one of her favorite scenes in the film was shot in the parking lot of a big box store.

"There's one scene that's one of the most visually beautiful scenes I've seen on film, and we shot [it] in real life in a Best Buy parking lot," Portman revealed to the outlet. "It's so wild to be on this size of movie, and we were literally in a parking lot with a blue screen, doing this really dramatic thing," she continued. Portman didn't reveal the scene in question, though it's hard to imagine the cast and crew shooting a complex, pivotal moment, such as the battle in the Shadow Realm, in a parking lot.

We know that there were plenty of scenes that ended up not being used in the film — in fact, a character played by Lena Headey was cut from "Love and Thunder" entirely — but Portman's comments imply that the parking lot moment is indeed in the final version. The actor said, "It looks so stunning on film, but every time I see it, I'm like, 'That's a Best Buy parking lot.'"