The heroic triumph of The Avengers!
It seemed pretty apparent that Marvel’s superhero team-up THE AVENGERS was going to have a big box office opening at #1. But just how big are we talking?
THE AVENGERS assembled for a record-setting $200.3 MILLION during its opening weekend!
UPDATE: Amazingly, that Sunday estimate was low! Today’s actual reported figure now stands at $207.4 MILLION!
The cast of colorful comic icons snapped the magic wand of the previous title-holder HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS Pt. 2 (which opened to $169.1M), thanks in part to its Friday midnight showings ($18.7M), record-breaking day-to-day figures, and sellouts of premium-priced 3D and IMAX.
Writer-director Joss Whedon’s rousing clash between Marvel’s champions and dastardly Loki’s invading minions also proved satisfying to audiences, who granted the movie a rare A+ CinemaScore (virtually guaranteeing repeat viewings and continued strong business). Feel free to add your own opinion on the movie to the ongoing JoBlo conversation RIGHT HERE!
Sure it cost a hefty chunk to make (a reported $220M budget), but THE AVENGERS has already rounded up an additional $440M or so from international crowds, who got to witness Hulk smash a week before North America. A $640M global total after 12 days in release must make Disney feel pretty good about their $4 billion investment in Marvel, not to mention justifying the logistics (and price tag) of bringing these high-profile actors and characters back together for THE AVENGERS 2.
There wasn’t much left except sadness among the rest of the Top 10 in the wake of the costumed juggernaut (not the mutant Vinnie Jones one), with the king of the past two weeks THINK LIKE A MAN taking in just $8M — a mere 4% of what Iron Man, Cap and the villain-punching gang collected.
A few others managed to hold onto the same placement on the list as last week (THE HUNGER GAMES, THE LUCKY ONE, THE RAVEN) or shift just a bit, but that’s the only numerical consistency — every movie on the chart experienced a drop in business of around 50%, if not more (Statham’s SAFE lost nearly 70%). THE CABIN IN THE WOODS also made its exit from the Top 10, but co-writer/producer Whedon and star Chris Hemsworth made out okay in the deal considering their other new movie’s performance.
Outside the Top 10, the limited-release old-people-in-India film THE BEST EXOTIC MARIGOLD HOTEL had a decent opening in 27 locations with a $27k per-screen average and a $750k total.
Next week only offers one new release, Tim Burton and Johnny Depp’s update of the cult-favorite supernatual soap opera DARK SHADOWS. Do you think DARK SHADOWS or the following week’s BATTLESHIP can knock THE AVENGERS from the top of the box office? VOTE HERE!
| # | MOVIE TITLE | WKND $ | TOTAL $ |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Avengers | $207.4 M | NEW |
| 2 | Think Like a Man | $8 M | $73 M |
| 3 | The Hunger Games | $5.7 M | $380.7 M |
| 4 | The Lucky One | $5.5 M | $47.9 M |
| 5 | The Pirates! Band of Misfits | $5.4 M | $18.5 M |
| 6 | The Raven | $2.5 M | $12 M |
| 7 | The Five-Year Engagement | $5.1 M | $19.2 M |
| 8 | Safe | $2.4 M | $12.8 M |
| 9 | Chimpanzee | $2.3 M | $23 M |
| 10 | The Three Stooges | $1.8 M | $39.6 M |
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