Holy box office … Iron Man. Debuting to an opening weekend nothing short of astonishing, Marvel’s big-budget superhero epic amassed a record-smashing $207.4 million over just three days.
Even though The Avenger’s “only” posted the eighth best midnight opening and merely the second best opening day of all time (behind Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2), the superhero ensemble had no problem annihilating the opening weekend record.
After its $80.8 million-dollar Friday, The Avengers posted record grosses on both Saturday ($69.6 million) and Sunday ($57 million) which bested “Deathly Hallows Part 2's” first weekend total by a huge $38.2 million. Remember when $100 million was a massive start?
The Top 10
1. The Avengers - $207.4M (weekend)…$207.4M (gross)
Other records snatched up by Joss Whedon’s action spectacle were the highest per-theater average ($47,698 – finally dethroning four-year champ Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert Tour) and fastest to $100 million, $150 million and $200 million.
Overseas the results were equally as jaw-dropping. Now having debuted in every major territory, The Avengers has conglomerated $447.4 million for a dizzying global gross of $654.8 million. The blockbuster has now more than doubled its budget (including its pricey $80-million marketing expenditure).
With an A+ CinemaScore and great holds over the days in its debut frame, The Avengers is a shoe-in for $500 million domestic and if it experiences legs identical The Dark Knight it will cross the $700-million milestone.
The remaining holdovers are not even worthy of mention, and are so dwarfed by The Avengers opening it is almost comical (the number two spot has held by Think Like a Man, which grossed $8.1 million, which is less than the superhero flick made across a single round of screenings).
Serving as great counter-programming in limited release, British dramedy The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel debuted to an excellent $737,051 in just 27 theaters. This equates to the second best limited release average of the year so far and should play very well to older audiences as summer releases roll out.
Next weekend, a single new release (with no hope in hell of unseating The Avengers) debuts in theaters. Dark Shadows from Tim Burton and starring Johnny Depp will aim for the comedy crowd in 3,700 theaters.
