The US opening weekend results are in for The Avengers, and it's shattered Harry Potter's record-breaking first weekend take. That's just for starters...
Well, crikey. We knew Marvel’s The Avengers was going to be big when it finally arrived in American cinemas this past weekend. But this big? A three day take that beats the entire US runs of The Incredible Hulk, Thor and Captain America? It’s fair to say that the film has exceeded some already sky high expectations.
Off the back of extremely strong reviews, Marvel’s The Avengers has taken $200.3m in its opening weekend, according to industry estimates. It comfortably won the weekend battle – second placed Think Like A Man scored a mere $8m (although that film’s already a solid hit, with $73m in the bank to date). But The Avengers also shattered a few records in the process.
The film now has the biggest opening weekend of all time at the US box office, beating by some distance the $169.1m opening for Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows Part 2 last summer. It’s also set records in the US for the biggest gross take on a Saturday ever, a Sunday too, and it’s inevitably therefore become the fastest film to pass the $200m mark at the US box office.
The fact that the film’s takings held up over Saturday and Sunday suggests strong word of mouth, too, and just where the final total for The Avengers in the US will end up is anyone’s guess. With no direct superhero competition until Spider-Man arrives in July, a $600m US take would be our provisional estimate.
It is fair to say that Marvel has won its gamble with its Avengers movie strategy. Batman certainly has a bit of a job on his hands...
Follow Den Of Geek on Twitter right here. And be our Facebook chum here.