"Avengers" crosses the $1 billion mark worldwide in only 19 days and is the first film in history to hit $100 million in its second weekend at the domestic box office; "Dark Shadows" opens to a soft $28.8 million.
Breaking yet another box office record, Marvel’s The Avengers brought in $103.2 million on its second weekend out in North America, becoming the first movie to cross the $100 million mark on its sophomore outing.
Besides topping Avatar’s $75.6 million for the best-ever second weekend, Avengers also became the fastest film to reach $300 million domestically, earning a total of $373.2 million.
Worldwide, Avengers jumped the $1 billion mark on Sunday after only 19 days, matching the speed record set by Avatar and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2, as well as becoming the 11th top grossing title of all time.
Avengers is such a powerhouse that IMAX and other big-screen venues split shows between that film and Dark Shadows (IMAX originally intended to swap out Avengers and play only Dark Shadows). Between the two titles, IMAX locations grossed $10.3 million worldwide over the weekend.
Avengers' global box office already has surpassed the global box-office totals of setup films Captain America: The First Avenger ($364 million), Thor ($449 million), Iron Man ($585 million) and Iron Man 2 ($624 million). Internationally, Avengers already has eclipsed the three Spider-Man pics and The Dark Knight to become the most successful superhero title of all time.
The Tim Burton-Johnny Depp collaboration Dark Shadows didn’t fare nearly as well on its first weekend out, earning Warner Bros. a paltry $28.8 million at the domestic box office. Internationally, the vampire comedy opened to $36.7 million, coming out ahead of The Avengers in several European markets, including France, where it grossed $4.6 million.
Ensemble comedy Think Like a Man, adapted from Steve Harvey'sbest-selling advice book Act Like a Lady, held third place on the box office charts, earning $6.3 million for a total of $81.9 million.
Lionsgate's blockbuster The Hunger Games held on in fourth place in its eighth week out, earning $4.4 million for a total of $386.9 million.
In fifth place, the Warner Bros. film adaptation of Nicholas Sparks' The Lucky One, starring Zac Efron, earned $4.1 million for a total of $53.7 million.
The stop-motion animated The Pirates! Band of Misfits, from Sony and Aardman, came in sixth, bringing in $3.2 million for a total of $23.1 million.
Universal’s Five Year Engagement, starring Jason Segel and Emily Blunt, held seventh place, earning $3.1 million for a total of $24.4 million.
At number eight, Fox Searchlight’s geriatric comedy The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel brought in $2.7 million on its second weekend out for a total of $3.7 million.
Still holding ninth place, Disney’s nature documentary The Chimpanzee brought in $1.6 million on its fourth week out for a total of $25.6 million
Rounding out the list at number 10, Lionsgate’s Hispanic-themed Girl in Progress, starring Eva Mendes, brought in $1.4 million on its debut weekend.
Box office numbers were obtained on boxofficemojo.com.
Formerly Editor-in-Chief of Animation World Network, Jennifer Wolfe has worked in the Media & Entertainment industry as a writer and PR professional since 2003.
