The Avengers scores $80.5 million at the US box office - The Avengers

Deadline Hollywood has $80 million+. link

Hollywood Report is saying close to 67$.so whose right?

Maybe Variety isn't including the Thursday Midnight runs? Looks like THR is also now saying $80 million (link)

Hollywood Reporter is now saying $80m as well. Apparently there was an unexpected "late night surge." The Variety articles is dated yesterday (Friday) afternoon, so it wouldn't have taken that into account.

[ edited by alterna-tv on 2012-05-05 16:12 ]

alterna-tv | May 05, 16:10 CET

Variety have old information. Young kids can't go to midnight shows usually, so the numbers are going to be higher than initially predicted as the predictions were based on faulty models which worked for Hunger Games, but not this.

Also, the CinemaScore (A+). This movie is going to make Disney/Marvel a truck of money, and the reason for that is both their excellent marketing, and the amount of work the writing team, the cast, the crew etc did.

[ edited by gossi on 2012-05-05 16:33 ]

gossi | May 05, 16:24 CET

Basking in box office (or ratings) news is not a feeling I'm used to enjoying as a Joss fan. Must confess, it's pretty damn sweet.

punkinpuss | May 05, 16:29 CET

So, so happy for Joss today. Saw the movie last night - loved it - and after following his career for the past 16 years, it's so immensely gratifying to see him achieve mainstream success of this magnitude. Can't wait to see the final first weekend numbers!

AMCsoldier | May 05, 16:41 CET

Maybe Disney's success will teach Fox a lesson about (a) giving Joss creative flexibility and (b) adequately promoting his work... to make sure you get a return on the Production investment.

SteveP | May 05, 16:49 CET

Wow. I knew it would be big, but not this big. I mean, the Iron Man films are really the only previous films in the lead up that were out and out smash hits. To think that The Avengers has nearly out-grossed the total box-office of the first Iron Man film in 2 weeks is pretty staggering.

Kaan | May 05, 17:06 CET

I've reworded the entry to make it a lot more meaningful and to include the HR info.

Simon | May 05, 17:12 CET

I'm going to point out the obvious - You're drawing in all Marvel fans with this film, not just the Iron Man, Captain America, Thor or Hulk fans individually. This opening I'd say is more akin to Spider-Man in 2002. I've expected the film to cruise easily to a $150 million opening weekend in the United States.

spidyredneckjedi | May 05, 17:24 CET

Yay Joss! So is this good or bad for getting a Dr Horrible Movie?

ChrisMystery | May 05, 17:24 CET

I don't know. But I imagine Warner Bros are dusting off their plans for a JLA movie.

Simon | May 05, 17:33 CET

Forbes says $80.5 million....

http://www.forbes.com/sites/rogerfriedman/2012/05/05/avengers-81-mil-friday-second-biggest-opening-day-ever/

TDBrown | May 05, 17:37 CET

Cabin is still in the top ten. Yay!

Kaan | May 05, 17:53 CET

Will Joss being the "hit" film director ever feel like the new norm? These updates are still stunning me.

hann23 | May 05, 19:09 CET

Joss has always been a mainstream creator to me. He's just never had people delivering the right platform before now. (Except with Dr Horrible, because, platform).

[ edited by gossi on 2012-05-05 19:25 ]

gossi | May 05, 19:15 CET

Boxofficemojo predicts a possible 200M weekend, stating that it is practically mathematical certainty that Avengers will at least exceed the current weekend record (169,2M).

Lince | May 05, 19:21 CET

Deadline have upped prediction to $175m, which will make it the number one box office opener of, uhm, all time.

gossi | May 05, 19:26 CET

Heh. I remember some people saying last year that the lack of an Avengers panel at Comic-Con would hit the box-office performance.

Simon | May 05, 19:33 CET

@Simon - Who would say that? It's been proven so many times in recent years that Comic-Con doesn't change box office 99.9% of the time. Maybe it helps start or end buzz, but that's about it.

danregal | May 05, 19:36 CET

The usual pop-culture pundits and fanboys. There was chatter at the time that said that Comic-Con was too important to miss.

Simon | May 05, 19:37 CET

I know that's the word on the street about Comic-Con. All part of the mystique around the show. It's applies more to comics than TV/movies though.

I think most of the people saying it specifically about Avengers were just pissed they didn't get to see the cast/Joss.

danregal | May 05, 19:40 CET

That was a shame. Maybe it can happen for Avengers 2. I think Joss has an option on that? I think Feige said something about that in an interview.

Simon | May 05, 19:42 CET

For movies, Comic-Con is good for cheap publicity and getting some positive buzz if you show something good (or negative buzz if you're The Hobbit). But nothing will replace TV adverts, magazine front pages, proper online campaigns etc.

And I kinda hope Joss doesn't do another, to be honest. If it ends up setting a new record for opening weekend... It's time to move on to something new.

gossi | May 05, 19:44 CET

I was pretty happy to see that the Avengers also got an A+ Cinemascore.

That's really amazing.

rabid | May 05, 20:04 CET

One question haunts me. Do the people who rejected his wonder woman script do manage to bite their own a...s or not ;)

Snugels | May 05, 20:14 CET

Snugles:
Honestly, I think the problem with Wonder-Woman is it's not a premise for the big screen. They should have handed him Black Canary instead. That would have been more likely to work.

GreatMuppetyOdin | May 05, 20:52 CET

So glad to hear this news. Just got back from seeing the film and was blown away by it. SO glad Joss is going to get this kind of success in his first big budget film. Not only that but he's the first guy to get the Hulk to work in a film.

faneater | May 05, 21:11 CET

I liked this quote in the article on deadline.com:

"Note to Hollywood: This is what happens when you let comic fans do comic book movies. Joss Whedon knocked it out of the park. The right mix of humor without camp, special effects without overusage, and action with good script."

SteveP | May 05, 21:14 CET

So whichever execs at Warner Bros. who basically thew away Joss work on Wonder Woman, must be biting himself to death right now.

As I don't expect The Dark Knight Rises to be more profitable than The Dark Knight, WB's PR team must be working with some sort of plan B with this.

Numfar PTB | May 05, 21:14 CET

GreatMuppetyOdin: I totally disagree on Wonder Woman. Bruce Timm and company did a brilliant job on that feature-length Wonder Woman animated film. I don't see a reason why a big screen live-action film couldn't have been just as well executed. The problem was and is Warner Brothers. They still have no clue what they're doing.

WindTheFrog | May 05, 21:21 CET

I saw this link on twitter at work and actually HOOTED out loud...oops! Just couldn't be happier for Our Man Joss. Richly deserved! I am going back tomorrow for the IMAX 3D version.

Charmuse | May 05, 21:29 CET

WindTheFrog: I don't know. That costume's pretty hard to justify, along with the lasso and the invisible jet... Animation is one thing, but live action is another.
And yeah, Warner has no idea what they're doing, and it's no wonder. Most of their heroes are designed as idols rather than protagonists.

[ edited by GreatMuppetyOdin on 2012-05-05 21:44 ]

GreatMuppetyOdin | May 05, 21:40 CET

I agree with GreatMuppetyOdin. I'm not sure Wonder Woman could still work as a live action anything. The costume, the weaponry, ... I think it may be so inherently camp that no audience would buy it at this point. That's why I thought the pilot for the Wonder Woman tv show (that didn't get picked up) was so awkward.

Mitholas | May 05, 21:55 CET

And that's where Black Canary is more compatible with live action than Wonder Woman. No star spangled panties, no lassos and invisible jets, just leather, sonic booms, martial arts and motorcycles. Which is so far up Joss's alley it's kicked his door down and left stains on his carpet.
WarnerDC are way too focused on their "big three/four/five".

[ edited by GreatMuppetyOdin on 2012-05-05 22:05 ]

GreatMuppetyOdin | May 05, 22:03 CET

Don't presume for a minute execs at Warner Bros were having long, complicated discussions about the merits of the Wonder Woman pitch and script.

gossi | May 05, 22:22 CET

Also before throwing away WW due to goofiness, a couple reminders: the cool, awesome world of Green Lantern was majorly fucked up cinematically yet Marvel successfully launched Thor which is even more goofy. Wondy shouldn't have a gigantic budget, but a good blockbuster would easily recoup the cost.

Jaymii | May 05, 22:29 CET

As I understand, it was WW script (as Joss wrote X4) that they couldn't wrap their minds around. Their loss, IMHO.

Looking forward to watching this movie tonight!

Madhatter | May 05, 22:31 CET

Does anyone know how much lolly Disney paid Paramount to bow out of distribution? Must have been a lot, because Paramount surely knew this was a sure fire hit.

Andy Dufresne | May 05, 22:40 CET

$115m

gossi | May 05, 22:46 CET

Fantastic news, hopefully Joss will now have the clout to get his more personal projects made. Goners anyone.

Morrolan | May 05, 22:53 CET

#FreeGoners

Numfar PTB | May 05, 23:35 CET

I read somewhere that Paramount still gets 8% of box office.

QingTing | May 06, 00:04 CET

Imagine how big the sequel will be.

#ThrowallthemoneyinthebagatJossplease

eddy | May 06, 01:38 CET

If anyone was going to do Wonder Woman justice and make it big at the box office, if would have been Joss.

I've rarely been to a movie where the theater is so packed, with lines waiting outside to see it. Most people don't bring their kids to see Joss movies, so that's added box office lootage.

The big question is whether all this power at the box office will go to Joss's head...

Evil Joss. ;-D

Nebula1400 | May 06, 01:49 CET

So, when are we starting the "Save The Avengers" campaign?

GreatMuppetyOdin | May 06, 02:59 CET

"The World is a Mess, and I Just Need to Rule It."

Numfar PTB | May 06, 03:13 CET

LMAO @ GreatMuppetyOdin and Numfar PTB.

I couldn't spell Dr. Horrible's laughter.

Nebula1400 | May 06, 03:51 CET

Watching one of the cable news channels and the scroll thingy on the bottom keeps telling the world about the records being broken by a Joss Whedon movie and I keep giggling uncontrollably while my eyes are all teary. It's awesome.

bloodyrockerswitch | May 06, 04:04 CET

I read that Avengers accounted for 80% of all tickets sold on Friday. That is just ridiculous.

lottalettuce | May 06, 04:14 CET

Lottalettuce, actually that isn't very surprising since no other new movies opened this week, and the ones that were already open, like Hunger Games, are in fewer theaters than they had been.

embers | May 06, 04:38 CET

My favorite box office website (Box Office Prophets) is predicting a weekend of $185.5 million if it has a similar weekend multiplier to The Dark Knight. Here's a link to that article. The 3D could push it even higher perhaps. That would absolutely destroy the previous record.

BryGuy | May 06, 04:47 CET

I wondered why Paramount's name was still in the credits even though Disney took over distro for this one. Is it really $115 that they gave Paramount to do this film themselves?

LOUiE | May 06, 04:54 CET

"The World is a Mess, and I Just Need to Rule It."

Wait your turn, pal!

Madhatter | May 06, 05:06 CET

I've heard conflicting reports on the deal which includes this and Iron Man 3. I think that it's $115 million for Paramount and that they will receive 8% - 9% of the theatrical gross receipts and that the Paramount Logo has to receive top billing.

Risch22 | May 06, 05:25 CET

Louie and Andy, Disney paid Paramount for the rights to both "The Avengers" AND "Iron Man 3." Paramount receives top billing (and their logo on the marketing materials and the film), and a minimum of $55M per film ($115M for both movies) if they didn't perform as expected -- that amount is what they would recoup in distribution fees. Par still gets 8% of the box office revenue for "The Avengers" and 9% for "Iron Man 3", so they'll get a lot more than $115M once everything is said and done with.

Mcjw_serenity | May 06, 05:33 CET

Is Wonder Woman any more inherently campy than a large adult male in a red, white and blue tights with little wings on his head, who carries a shield (which he hurls at Nazis) that can miraculously handle the impact of explosive forces?

Joss made trick arrows work, for goodness sake. Trick. Arrows. I'm sure his Wonder Woman would work just fine.

Arsenal | May 06, 06:06 CET

I selfishly want a Wonder Woman movie because I looooooooved the TV show when I was a little girl. I even pretended I had her magical bracelets and everything (fashionable and bullets bounced off them). Really, she was a precursor to my eventual love of Buffy and all things Joss Whedon.

He made a concept as insane as a tiny blonde with Slayer powers killing vampires in her beautiful white prom dress work. And I think people underestimate the collective hunger of ladies who want to see an awesome Wonder Woman movie made one day. The TV show is kind of a classic, and much more memorable than, say, Cap or Thor, to today's non-comic book reading general audience.

I think that as long as the budget is modest -- $140M is what got spent on Cap, Thor and Iron Man's first movies -- it could totally work. Not everything (the invisible jet, er...), but an Amazonian woman with super-strength and super-feminist ideals and star-spangled panties? Yes please.

[ edited by dottikin on 2012-05-06 12:02 ]

dottikin | May 06, 06:33 CET

Gossi -

Many thanks. And wow.

Andy Dufresne | May 06, 10:28 CET

Arsenal: Captain America has a reason to wear the American flag. He was recruited as a symbol during WW2. He's the super soldier. Wonder Woman isn't even FROM America.
Also, Cap's costume is practical. Wonder Woman's costume is barely even there.

[ edited by GreatMuppetyOdin on 2012-05-06 11:31 ]

GreatMuppetyOdin | May 06, 11:10 CET

Admittedly I'm a Marvel fan from way back but I have genuinely tried to get into DC's stuff on several occasions over the years, mostly due to liking the character of Batman (and wishing he was existing in the same universe as Wolverine because those two would kick ass on the same team...) but I just can't seem to get attached to the majority of their characters at all. They just come across as being incredibly bland to me, especially when compared to their Marvel counterparts.

When it was announced that Joss was writing a Wonder Woman movie, my first thought was 'Why is he wasting his time?'. Not that I doubt Joss' ability to write a great movie on any given subject. It's just that I knew that it was destined to be the next on the list of semi-successful and quickly forgotten DC movies. There was absolutely no possibility of a Wonder Woman movie being the success that The Avengers has been. All you have to do is look at the mess that became of the recent attempt to put the concept on television. It wasn't pretty. Nor was the recent Green Lantern movie. It's as if DC's characters (again, Batman aside) don't have enough depth to be anything other than two-dimensional.

Credit where it's due though, DC's latest attempt to bring Superman back to the big screen with Man of Steel looks like it has a chance of being something akin to successful. I get the feeling that they are making the character considerably darker than his comic book equivalent, but maybe that is what it will take to compete with Marvel.

Five Horizons | May 06, 15:45 CET

I think a wonder woman movie could be great! If they can make Thor work, then wonder woman definitely could.

mortimer | May 06, 15:45 CET

Mortimer: Would Thor have worked if he wore Captain America's underpants?

[ edited by GreatMuppetyOdin on 2012-05-06 15:53 ]

GreatMuppetyOdin | May 06, 15:48 CET

That is a question that I never thought I would read on the internet...

Five Horizons | May 06, 15:57 CET

Five Horizons: And yet, that's basically what Wonder Woman is. Thor in Cap's panties.

GreatMuppetyOdin | May 06, 16:27 CET

$200m now seems certain

Incredible!

bivith | May 06, 17:35 CET

@GreatMuppetyOdin: And that's why some of us really wanted to see what Joss could have done with WW. Mutant Enemy made several episodes work which seemed totally absurd: no voices for half the episode, a musical, muppets & demons,... Part of the fun is to see something with "disaster" written all over it, and see Joss & collaborators find a way to make it work. (Guessing star spangled panties wouldn't make the final cut, though.)

OneTeV | May 06, 18:29 CET

OneTeV: Well, if they made a Wonder Woman movie with self-aware puppets and musical numbers in it, that's another story.
If they want to avoid camp (which seems to be their agenda), they'd be better off making a Black Canary movie. Or completely change Wonder Woman (which David E. Kelley did horribly with his TV pilot, so...yeah).

[ edited by GreatMuppetyOdin on 2012-05-06 23:10 ]

GreatMuppetyOdin | May 06, 21:40 CET

I dunno, GreatMuppetyOdin...if BATMAN can be rescued from camp after the William Dozier TV series and the Burton/Schumacher era, then I think that Wonder Woman isn't impossible.

Heck, if Kenneth Branaugh and Joe Johnston can make people believe in an extra-dimensional being who sounds like he should be doing Shakespeare or Marlowe, and a genetically modified soldier who can probably out Boy Scout the Last Son of Krypton...I think the Crown Princess of Themyscira has a chance. Crazier ideas have worked before :P

BlueEyedBrigadier | May 07, 04:00 CET

May 05 2012