Wow. It’s time to haul out the superlatives and the sports cliches like grand slam and buzzer-beating three-point shot. Marvel’s The Avengers is headed for a $200 million opening weekend, shattering the record previously held by Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 ($169.2 million). Beating a record by 18% is truly extraordinary. While The Avengers lagged behind the final Harry Potter on Friday (Harry’s $90.1 million–#1 Friday all time vs Avengers’ $80.5 million–#2 Friday all time), The Avengers surged ahead on Saturday (Avengers’ $69.7 million–#1 Saturday all time vs Harry’s $42 million–#11 Saturday all time and Spider-Man 3’s $51.3 million–#2 all time). Sunday is expected to be very good for The Avengers as well ($50.1 million–#1 Sunday all time), comfortably ahead of The Dark Knight’s $43.6 million–#2 Sunday all time.
The box office volume for the top 12 films is now looking like $242 million for the weekend, up 56% from last year’s weekend and up 65% from the weekend’s average for the past four years.
The ShowbuzzDaily Domestic Final estimates now show that the films opening wide this weekend are headed for: Marvel’s The Avengers ($490 million).
Second week films: The Pirates! Band of Misfits ($34 million, adjusted down from last week’s estimate), The Five-Year Engagement ($32 million, adjusted down slightly from last week), Safe ($17 million, adjusted down from last week) and The Raven ($14 million, adjusted down slightly from last week).
Third week films: Think Like a Man ($95 million, adjusted down from last week’s estimate), The Lucky One ($58 million, adjusted back down slightly) and Chimpanzee ($30 million, adjusted back down slightly).
Fourth week films: Three Stooges ($44 million, adjusted down slightly for the third week in a row) and Cabin in the Woods ($44 million, adjusted down slightly).
| May 4-6 | ($ millions) | ||||
| vs Last Wknd | Wknd Studio Proj. | Showbuzz Domestic Final | |||
| Marvel’s The Avengers | Dis | 200.3 | 490 | ||
| Think Like a Man | LG | -55% | 8.0 | 95 | |
| The Hunger Games | LG | -47% | 5.7 | 405 | |
| The Lucky One | WB | -49% | 5.5 | 58 | |
| Pirates! Band of Misfits | Sony | -52% | 5.4 | 34 | |
| Five-Year Engagement | Uni | -52% | 5.1 | 32 | |
| Safe | LG | -69% | 2.5 | 17 | |
| The Raven | Rel | -66% | 2.5 | 14 | |
| Chimpanzee | Dis | -54% | 2.4 | 30 | |
| The Three Stooges | Fox | -65% | 1.8 | 44 | |
| The Cabin in the Woods | LG | -66% | 1.6 | 44 | |
The Avengers is already up to over $440 million overseas to complement the $200 million domestic opening weekend. The Hunger Games, in contrast, stands at $237 million overseas currently. Look for more international numbers later today when we update our weekly worldwide tracking chart.
| ALL-TIME HIGHEST OPENING WEEKENDS | ($ millions) | |||
| Opening Weekend | Final Domestic Total | Overseas Total | ||
| Marvel’s The Avengers | 200 (est.) | 490 (est.) | 441.5 (to date) | |
| Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 | 169.2 | 381.1 | 947.1 | |
| The Dark Knight | 158.4 | 533.3 | 468.6 | |
| The Hunger Games | 152.5 | 405 (est.) | 237.0 (to date) | |
| Spider-Man 3 | 151.1 | 336.5 | 554.3 | |
Total Box Office Volume
The Top 12 Films this weekend are looking like $242 million total Friday-Sunday, now up 56% from the same calendar weekend last year and up 65% from the average for this weekend the past four years.
| WEEKEND #18 | Weekend Volume: Top 12 Films | Top Movies Opening Each Weekend | |
| 2012 | $242 | Marvel’s The Avengers $200 | |
| 2011 | $155 | Thor $66, Jumping the Broom $15, Something Borrowed $14 | |
| 2010 | $171 | Iron Man 2 $128, Babies $2 | |
| 2009 | $143 | Star Trek $75, Next Day Air $4 | |
| 2008 | $118 | What Happens in Vegas $20, Speed Race $19 | |
| Avg 2008-11 | $147 |
Next Weekend
Opening wide next weekend is Dark Shadows from Warner Brothers (starring Johnny Depp and directed by Tim Burton). This film will be compared to the following openers from the same weekend last year: Bridesmaids ($26.2 million opening weekend) and Priest ($15.0 million).
Again, check back later today for our update on international grosses.
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