The Avengers makes US box office history, scores biggest ever opening weekend - The Avengers

If you said 2 years ago the day that Joss took the director spot that this movie might make 200 million dollars in its opening weekend, everyone in your prescence would've probably mocked and laughed at you. If you said this 6 months ago, you would've probably been called a delusional fan boy. Heck, even a month ago, people were saying this movie would be lucky to do Ironman numbers.

Congrats Joss, Marvel, and Disney.

eddy | May 06, 16:19 CET

And then there's me, who has been waiting 2 years, and won't be able to go before the weekend is over. Surely it'll continue to make a ton.

CaptainB | May 06, 16:20 CET

I hope...
- Disney / Marvel have sent Joss a huge gift basket.
- Universal already have Joss on speed-dial ready to free Goners.
- Festivals lining up to show Much Ado About Nothing are ready to put spotlight on it, SOON.

ETA:
- WB, you lost the opportunity to make Wonder Woman with this guy and his team (I know I saved Shawna's concepts for the uniform here somewhere....[Here in case someone missed them back in July 2010).

- And Joss, in case you're procrastinating. Just know this, we're really really happy for you.

[ edited by Numfar PTB on 2012-05-06 16:45 ]

Numfar PTB | May 06, 16:21 CET

Whoa! I was expecting it to place #2, never had this high hope.

Damn. Joss had this coming. For sooo long!

Madhatter | May 06, 16:28 CET

I was expecting $155-160 for sure. but possibly over $200? I hope Joss's phone wont stop ringing right now.

FrellaC | May 06, 16:30 CET

Amazing numbers. J-Dubs has a window now in which he can get stuff made. How will he spend it?

Andy Dufresne | May 06, 16:30 CET

Well done Joss and all concerned, and I've yet to add my few £ to the total!

[ edited by GrrAargh on 2012-05-06 16:33 ]

GrrAargh | May 06, 16:31 CET

Hurrah! Huzzah! Excelsior! My joy is so bountiful it can only be expressed anachronistically. Neat!

Pointy | May 06, 16:31 CET

I seem to have a perpetual smile.

And ditto @pointy, ditto.

hann23 | May 06, 16:35 CET

It cracks me up joss shot this, then Much Ado at his house.

Huge congrats to everybody involved, including the studio for believing.

[ edited by gossi on 2012-05-06 16:41 ]

gossi | May 06, 16:41 CET

Holy Crikey! I may pass out. But not before I throw more money at our favorite redhead tonight! Bow Chicca Bow Bow!

Charmuse | May 06, 16:42 CET

And this genius deserves it.

TAKE THAT, all you nonbelievers!!! :D

FangedFourLover | May 06, 16:44 CET

Everyone in Whedonesque is smiling ear to ear! Oh, I'm so going to break this over some heads at work tomorrow morning.

I'm so evil.

Madhatter | May 06, 16:46 CET

You know I'm supposed to study but I can't helping checking back here every 5 minutes (or every 2, even) to see if there are any news concerning how well the movie is doing... ahhh it has taken over my life

Must. Stop.

Illy | May 06, 16:49 CET

As someone who has been a fan and has had huge respect for Joss for years this is pure vindication. After years of dismissive "The guy who wrote Buffy?" comments from people who had never bothered to watch the show but were happy to judge it and its creator on nothing but the title. The Avengers was expected to do well, but not many people knew that Joss had the talent to make it great.

Can't wait for Much Ado.

zz9 | May 06, 16:52 CET

I have got tears in my eyes. Happy Happy Joy Joy. Let Joss bask in the triumph he so deserves. Congratulations to those who made this happen! :)

lifeglider | May 06, 16:54 CET

zz9, my sentiments exactly!! So thrilled for Joss! It's like a big neener-neener to all those lame fucks who never recognized (or if they did, refused to acknowledge) his genius before this. Everyone is gonna be waiting to see what he does next.

Oh, the pressure. But YAY! And yep - Excelsior!!

Willowy | May 06, 16:57 CET

It was only a matter of time before the world figured out how good this Whedon guy is. The best there is at what he does, you might say!

Or at least you might if Wolverine was still an Avenger in movie continuity...

Five Horizons | May 06, 16:59 CET

Wow, this is just fabulous news.

Reddygirl | May 06, 17:00 CET

This is so awesome!

ShaunieB | May 06, 17:01 CET

I think Joss will be able to write his own ticket now.lol

Buffyfantic | May 06, 17:01 CET

Yay!!!!! You deserve this and more Joss <3

lisatwingomez | May 06, 17:11 CET

What I just wrote on Twitter:

I've honestly never been so happy a corporation is raking in money. Congrats to Whedon for doing the impossible. Again.

danregal | May 06, 17:11 CET

This is just incredible. I've seen so many people on Facebook saying they've seen it 2, 3 times. I think these numbers are going to hold up well.

Imagine back when Joss got signed on for this project two years ago, fresh off of Dollhouse being cancelled. I remember watching Avatar that winter and wishing the whole time that somebody would give Joss a budget like this. I had no idea it would actually happen.

popgoestheshelby | May 06, 17:11 CET

For comparisons, the top twenty openers of all time. It's almost double Transformers 3.

[ edited by gossi on 2012-05-06 17:13 ]

gossi | May 06, 17:13 CET

Wow! The Harry Potter movie in second place isn't even close to The Avengers. This really is a phenomenal achievement. All involved should be really pleased with themselves! Bring on Avengers 2!

Five Horizons | May 06, 17:19 CET

Would you think Joss Whedon will direct the other Marvel movies? i mean like Iron Man 3? That would be a waste for them not to use Joss. I saw it yesterday, and i felt like i was at the Serenity premiere in Montreal.

Congrats Joss, you deserve it like nobody else!

Suligane | May 06, 17:20 CET

I can't stop the happy I'm feeling! I don't want to ever stop this happy I'm feeling for all things Joss! These numbers are amazing and so deserved! Welcome to WhedonWorld rest of the world, it's about time you all caught on!

bloodyrockerswitch | May 06, 17:21 CET

Whedon the Opening Slayer!

ETA: Or Whedon the Box Office Slayer--they both work!

[ edited by Pointy on 2012-05-06 17:37 ]

Pointy | May 06, 17:22 CET

I didn't really grasp the true success that this has been until I read this. Joss is gonna get offers to do everything, but more importantly, he'll be able to do ANYTHING. It almost makes you start thinking he could get Firefly back, or at least Serenity 2.

[ edited by wasabi17 on 2012-05-06 17:26 ]

wasabi17 | May 06, 17:25 CET

Does Much Ado have a distributor yet? :)

insistondoubt | May 06, 17:25 CET

I hope Joss is singing this right about now.

Think we'll still even have to wait for Much Ado to go to the film festivals before it gets a distributor?

Bluelark | May 06, 17:27 CET

Congrats! An unbelievable amount of money (to quote the man himself "This amount of money exists?!")

The real test will be how long it sustains this. It got great critical acclaim, but it really needs the word of mouth to keep it at the top of the charts for studios to take notice that the general audiences love the Joss style and not just the hype that surrounded the film.

@Suligane - I (selfishly) hope not. I want more small quirky stuff, like Doctor Horrible. Things completely out of the blue, like Much Ado About Nothing. But most of all, I want more TV. None of these would happen if he keeps getting put on big budget pictures that will completely take over his life for 2-3+ years at a time.

Vandelay | May 06, 17:27 CET

@Suligane - The directors for Iron Man 2, Thor 2 and Captain America 2 are all already set. Joss would be able to do another character spin-off (like Black Widow) or Avengers 2.

danregal | May 06, 17:28 CET

It's funny, wasabi17, I was only just thinking to myself that Serenity 2 no longer seems like an impossible dream. Guess we at least have real reason to hope now.

Five Horizons | May 06, 17:31 CET

Insistondoubt, if it doesn't, It won't be long until it does.

I find the idea of walking into a theater to see some Shakespeare in black and white and then seeing "From the writer and director of 'The Avengers'" on the screen very funny. heh. Non-Whedonites would be so confused.

[ edited by wasabi17 on 2012-05-06 17:37 ]

wasabi17 | May 06, 17:32 CET

I really wonder how long the movie will be able to sustain these high numbers, and how high up it will go on the list of all-time most successful films. I hope the numbers don't cave in too soon - it would be such a treat seeing Avengers beat Avatar, but I guess that is not likely to happen, sadly.

@Vandelay
I agree with you on wanting TV most of all! It would be fantastic for Joss to get offered more big budget movies like this, but I really, really miss seeing his work on TV. A new Joss show would be absolute HEAVEN.

Illy | May 06, 17:33 CET

I think what Whedon Fandom is trying to say is, 'nah nah-nah nah nahh'

[ edited by technovamp on 2012-05-06 17:36 ]

technovamp | May 06, 17:35 CET

This is almost as much fun to watch as the movie itself! Okay, not quite. But it's a great feeling to see one of Joss's projects be so successful. It's been a long time coming.

Rachelkachel | May 06, 17:38 CET

Can't stop smiling. Joss, I said your name at work again (I often do, randomly), except this time, instead of causing questioning silence and a tentative "who's Josh?", it ignited a conversation about how good this movie is. It's really effing good. Can't stop smiling.

Briancoat | May 06, 17:44 CET

No more "save our show" protests in Joss's future, I'll wager. And I hope he'll still post here on occasion. I hope he hasn't outgrown us. And I hope that his greater visibility will mean more visibility for Equality Now. But I could not be happier for him. He deserves all the acclaim. We've known it for years, and now the rest of the world will. And maybe his name will be big enough now that we won't see all the "Josh Wheldon" spellings anymore.

Congrats to Joss and to the entire cast and crew of the film!

palehorse | May 06, 17:45 CET

I do like the fandom to be in unchartered territory, it's glorious. Also well done to everyone involved with the making of the movie, you knocked it out of the park.

Simon | May 06, 17:52 CET

Briancoat, none of us can. I also tend to shout out "Joss Whedon" name a lot. Since the Avengers, people know what I'm talking about. Isn't it crazy? Smiling more than the first time I watched Smile Time.

[ edited by wasabi17 on 2012-05-06 17:55 ]

wasabi17 | May 06, 17:54 CET

The shiniest.

Amaranth | May 06, 17:55 CET

I am so proud, I don't eve know what to do with myself. I "wooed' like a "woo girl" every time his name popped up in the credits.

marvelknight616 | May 06, 17:56 CET

Sharing the joy that Joss now has ALL the cred (and all the money). News made sweeter by the fact that his next movie is Shakespeare in the Backyard.

CONGRATULATIONS!!! To Joss and also to his old friends in the crew that he took along for the ride.

I hope this somehow leads to Goners being made.

jcs | May 06, 17:57 CET

It prints money!

Djungelurban | May 06, 17:58 CET

How does this news just keep getting better and better? I'm more than a little astounded.

(And I have the same problem as Illy - need to break out of this cycle of obsessive checking whether there are any updates on its performance. But it's just so strange to want to know ratings! Or, well, ratings equivalents.)

skittledog | May 06, 18:00 CET

I just learned that today is World Laughter Day. Fitting. Everybody seeing the film today is having a rollicking good time, and we're grinning ear to ear.

palehorse | May 06, 18:02 CET

In the almost fifteen years since I've been a huge Joss Whedon fan -- i.e., from the time our tiny blonde slayer burst on the scene -- I could never have predicted this. I am beside myself with glee. I LOVED The Avengers and I had no prior knowledge of, nor did I previously care about, the characters or the general Marvelverse. This movie deserves its astounding A+ Cinema Score and its incredible box office. I'm so, so thrilled for Joss and all those who poured their hard work into the Avengers. Suck it, all naysayers re: Whedontalent! Suck it now!

I can't wait to see The Avengers again.

Oh yeah, and Cabin in the Woods was an extraordinary film, too. Thank you so much, Mr. Purpleness. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

phlebotinin | May 06, 18:07 CET

CitW still isn't out here. ROAR! Can't wait to see it. Even though I hate horror movies, because I am really, really squeamish. But I can't pass on seeing a Whedon-movie on the big screen.

Sorry for off-topic :D

Oh so much Whedony-goodness this year. It will feel sooo empty after all this, though :( except for Dr. Horrible sequel, perhaps :D

Illy | May 06, 18:10 CET

I suppose I'm going to have to stop making late night drunken rants here, now that the world is watching.

Thanks, world.

dispatch | May 06, 18:19 CET

Numfar! Dance the dance of joy.

Darkness | May 06, 18:23 CET

Phleb! You rock so hard! Great post! Agreed with everything except that I DO care about the Marvelverse and have since I discovered Spidey as a pre-teen... still!! Great to see you and woo-hooooo!!!

Willowy | May 06, 18:24 CET

Could not be happier for our boy, Joss, and the rest of the team. Avengers assemble!

Jonnathan | May 06, 18:25 CET

Joss totally deserves this. I hope it stays no. 1 weekend ever for a while, just because. Marvel needs to get Joss on all their movies from now on, even if only as a consulting producer or to do a little dialogue-polishing or whatever.

ETA 3 days until I see it, can't wait. Gonna happily add a little more to its box office results.

Boto | May 06, 18:25 CET

In all this hoot and haraday, lets not forget our sponsors, namely Caroline, Simon, and that exclusive "Z" man that dances about.
Thanks!

Madhatter | May 06, 18:33 CET

Can I just say that I feel honoured to have found Joss and enjoyed his work (still am) before all this happened. I mean, this is incredible and I'm phenomenally glad that he's now going to get properly recognised for his work, but I feel kind of special to have been a Whedonite before Avengers, as you all probably do. Just so good to be able to say to my friends "Told ya so!" after I spent months countering their pre-hate with "You don't know this guy like I do!".

On that note, I believe the next open day sign up on here will be pretty busy.

Dude Meister | May 06, 18:38 CET

How do you think Joss celebrates something like this?

A) Goes home and writes/directs/casts/shoots Buffy broadway musical...in his garage.

B) Goes home and snorts a pile of shredded hundred dollar bills then cries himself to sleep while drinking wine, ashamed at the hubris.

C) Donates a wad of cash to amfAR. Creates new comic: Amfarr vs. the Foxmen.

D) Goes home, does a retro-pastiche number with Kai. Shoots beloved family cat of 12 years just at the right moment. Fandom ensues.

[ edited by Jonnathan on 2012-05-06 18:40 ]

Jonnathan | May 06, 18:40 CET

Something to consider, Avengers was actually released in less theathers than some of the other top 10 openers thus causing people to get turned away at lines because of sold out shows. If Disney had put the film on more screens it would've probably made more money.

Damn you Disney /sarcasm font.

eddy | May 06, 18:45 CET

I'm guessing/hoping he celebrates by having some time off. Also, diet pie.

gossi | May 06, 18:46 CET

Snoopy Dance....(nuff said)

We'reDoomed | May 06, 18:46 CET

When I wasn't at the theater this weekend I was here reading all the good news. It's been a good weekend to be a Browncoat

madmolly | May 06, 18:48 CET

You go Joss! *joins collective dance of joy* It´ll be interesting to see what doors that will open for him. I doubt many will remain closed after this.

Kessie | May 06, 18:53 CET

I've never been into vampires. Never been into comic books. But I know genius when I see it.

I laughed and cried and laughed and cried through 7 seasons of Buffy and 5 seasons of Angel - savoring each episode maybe 4-6 times.

I gasped in awe through 14 eps of Firefly, then cried bitter tears at its demise. I fell in love all over again over Serenity, only to be caught flat-footed by its dismal reception.

I appreciated Season 8 and Fray, clinging to the world that I'd grown to love.

I loved Dollhouse (and wanted to love it even more than I did). Its cancellation made me sad if not heartbroken.

There will always be dour suits and bean-counters pulling Joss down, even after today.

And truthfully, I hoped but never let myself believe this day would come.

But for today, and possibly tomorrow, Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay!

Long live the king!

[ edited by daroj on 2012-05-07 07:17 ]

daroj | May 06, 18:53 CET

Dead at 'diet pie'. And where can I get some?

Jonnathan | May 06, 18:54 CET

Mythical Cafe?

gossi | May 06, 18:55 CET

The hell with pie, diet or otherwise. Who's up for some shawarma?

Willowy | May 06, 18:59 CET

This is amazing! I wonder how much of this will translate into Joss love on the part of the masses.

One immediate indicator is to see if Cabin in the Woods fares any better next weekend.

Ronald_SF | May 06, 19:00 CET

Just throwing in my "Way to go, Joss!"

This is a triumphant moment for geeks everywhere.

Rambaldi | May 06, 19:05 CET

I'm predicting shawarma joints everywhere will have a good summer.

Jonnathan | May 06, 19:06 CET

I'm predicting an app to help you find your local shawarma distributor.

Arsenal | May 06, 19:09 CET

The best part is rubbing it into my coworkers faces with I told you so!

lisatwingomez | May 06, 19:23 CET

I was about to tease gossi about the diet pie, then Willowy steps in with, "shawara".

Big shoes to fill, better run girl!

Madhatter | May 06, 19:32 CET

Is it true that THE AVENGERS has an A+ CinemaScore!?

Because according to this website, this is a harbinger of great word-of-mouth and a healthy long-term run in the box office. Here is a list of movies that A+ and their box-office performances:
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/gallery/15-movies-made-grade-a-222653

Quote from same:
Tate Taylor’s The Help shot to the top of the class within hours of its opening in North America, earning an A+ CinemaScore. Only a select few movies have earned the top grade, which almost always guarantees an especially long and happy run. It’s an elite club that includes the likes of The King’s Speech, The Blind Side and, of course, Titanic. Why does it mean so much? A great CinemaScore means great word-of-mouth, which is the best publicity of all for a film

Ronald_SF | May 06, 19:33 CET

And that's without me - I won't get a chance to see it until Tuesday.

I'm very happy for Joss!

redeem147 | May 06, 19:48 CET

Joss - Congratulations!

refuge5 | May 06, 19:58 CET

Okay, am I a freak for thinking there might be some Oscar recognition? I mean just the motion capture of Hulk alone is REALLY something special!

embers | May 06, 20:07 CET

I hope for at least a best screenplay nomination....

For a while I was worried that Dark Knight Rises would beat out Avengers for box office, but I really don't think that'll happen now. Avengers is going to pull in massive repeat viewers, while I don't think that is going to occur for DKR. That movie will be too bleak and dark and just won't be as much fun overall.

Whisper | May 06, 20:11 CET

Clearly this is what Joss is doing

FrellaC | May 06, 20:12 CET

Right now my plan for TDKR is a 1 to 4 ratio with Avengers viewings. At least for the opening weekend. I'll be watching Avengers for the 4th time in 6 hours.

danregal | May 06, 20:19 CET

I know this sounds petty, but does anyone else want to know how much Joss got paid for this gig? In particular, if he gets a percentage cut? I know he doesn't quite have Nolan clout yet, but he did commit to the franchise as a script doctor for Cap, as well as writing and directing credit for this movie. I'm not usually interested in these things. I would just like to know that Joss gets a piece of this action.

Arsenal | May 06, 20:19 CET

"You people are so petty... and tiny"

Sorry could help it. Anyway, even if Joss only got a penny, this will pave a shiny future, filled with big budgets and small indie projects.

Dude Meister | May 06, 20:28 CET

This is so exciting. After seeing the movie, one of my friends told me that she wants to become a full fledged Joss fan. I'm glad more people are hearing his name.

Like With Pie | May 06, 20:29 CET

I'd guess this pretty much establishes Joss as a made man in the Hollyweird circles. Once the residuals and acclaim starts flowing in, Joss can walk into Fox's executive offices and put THEM on the Friday night death slot. :)

Huge congratulations to you, sir! (assuming Joss might see this.)

crippledlion | May 06, 20:31 CET

Yes, as I said in the 3rd Avengers thread (I think) I smell Oscar(s). Who doesn't want to hear a Joss Oscar speech? I mean, talk about squee.

Jonnathan | May 06, 20:51 CET

The Dark Knight was extremely dark and bleak and downer and I know I saw it in the theater 6 times, A record I don't know if I can beat despite my extreme love for the Avengers... And it was doing some massive record breaking...

I don't want TDKR to break the Avengers records, but I do want it to come like, within 2M of all the records. Chris Nolan is rapidly becoming another one of my gods.

I'm hoping for a director nomination moreso than a screenplay one. So that a tiny-gold-man can tell those 'it's not cinematic enough' people to SHUT UP.

[ edited by DreamRose311 on 2012-05-06 20:52 ]

DreamRose311 | May 06, 20:52 CET

I think Avengers is a shoe-in for a lot of effects/technical awards. I don't believe that Joss will get a director nod--commercial and critical success may not translate that way. On the up side, I *do* believe he will be nominated for original screenplay, and stands a very good chance at winning.

jclemens | May 06, 20:55 CET

The commercial/critical success isn't so much my reasoning. It's that action rarely gets filmed so damn well like that. And there were some gorgeous shots. And some EXCELLENT use of the 3D. Near the beginning when Fury walked into that large open space, I *actually* gasped. Twas beautiful

DreamRose311 | May 06, 20:57 CET

Avengers did indeed get an A+ CinemaScore. It got the highest possible average.

It's one of those movies where you know a lot of people worked their asses off and destroyed their social and family life for 6+ months for, so it's nice to know the studio didn't stuff it up and people are digging it.

[ edited by gossi on 2012-05-06 21:02 ]

gossi | May 06, 21:01 CET

Jclemens, I hate the term popcorn movie, but it probably applies. This is a successful piece of entertainment on the same level as something like Raiders of the Lost Ark or Star Wars: A New Hope. It would be a damn shame if there weren't some nominations. But such is life, and such is the Academy.

Personally, I find what Joss has accomplished way more creative and inspiring that the austere vision of Nolan. Whedon straight up brought Jack Kirby's work to life. You want to impress me Nolan? Put Batman, Nightwing and Batgirl in a scene battling something fantastical like Clayface or Solomon Grundy, and make the audience buy it and love it.

[ edited by Arsenal on 2012-05-06 21:08 ]

Arsenal | May 06, 21:07 CET

I dont think Joss will get any nomination for movie, director or screenplay; this genre rarely does, even less when its so fun and full on. Wouldnt hold my breath for Cabin either. TDK didnt get one and it took them reviews about how "it was more a drama than a superhero movie" and bla bla. This is an avengers comic as people perceive that medium and genre brought lo live. I dont see it.

If im wrong, ill do the honor and joy dance with glee, but i will do the big surprise dance also, to be honest.

[ edited by Darkness on 2012-05-06 21:16 ]

Darkness | May 06, 21:14 CET

I thought the Academy always ignored this kind of movie? (Except for some technical awards & Heath Ledger, of course.)

jcs | May 06, 21:15 CET

Giddy sensation of vindication mixed with massive amounts of relief and joy. Best. News. Ever.

So happy for Joss and everyone involved in the film.

Hera | May 06, 21:16 CET

So when do we start up the "Save Avengers" campaign? I kid! I kid!

Loved every minute of the movie and I'm glad it's a success.

flakbait | May 06, 21:20 CET

Fox. Warner Brothers. Ant. Boot.

Get the picture?

Nebula1400 | May 06, 21:21 CET

For the next two years or so, Joss Whedon can literally get ANY movie or television show he wants made, made. Let's see what he does with it.

I don't see any of the acting/directing/writing noms for this flick in its future, but that is because it's going to be more of the traditional "ignore the popcorn movie" stuff. It will have a few noms for effects, maybe score.

KingofCretins | May 06, 21:22 CET

Hiya, Willowy! Right back at you with the love. And you know what? Now I really do care about the Marvelverse. I'm into it like a train with that new converty glow (mania?). My only problem is figuring out who's my favorite superhero (or heroine). Most excellent times are these. And Much Ado About Nothing to look forward to. And more Dr. Horrible. And Wastelanders. Yowza.

phlebotinin | May 06, 21:26 CET

As to whether this success will be sustained going forward: If anything, I think this film will maintain momentum much better than other blockbusters. When a movie is this terrific, people tend to want to see it, and some people want to see it a second or third time. I think Avengers will break all the records.

Also, just to gloat a little, I predicted a long time ago that this would beat out Dark Knight as the greatest, most successful, most well-loved superhero movie ever. I now feel somewhat vindicated. Dark Knight was awesome, but somewhat bloated and humorless, and you couldn't really fall in love with the characters. This movie, by contrast, really is everything you could possibly want in a superhero movie.

Kudos, Joss. You absolutely killed it.

Squishy | May 06, 21:34 CET

When I came home from the first viewing, my roommate asked if it was better than The Dark Knight, and I said "urgh, Apples and Oranges"

Now, someday, 5-10 years from now, when they're ready to do another reboot, if it falls to Joss... Then I'll talk comparisons.

[ edited by DreamRose311 on 2012-05-06 21:38 ]

DreamRose311 | May 06, 21:37 CET

Re: The Academy Awards now has nine spots for Best Picture, and as a result, movies like "Inception," "Avatar," and "District 9" have been nominated. Occasionally but rarely, sci-fi and fantasy movies were nominated before the nine-slot ballot came into play (largely because there has been much criticism of the Academy for excluding such movies, but also to widen the scope to make more money). Only "Lord of the Rings: Return of the King" has won.

We'll see. Joss's recognition by the Academy has to extend beyond "Toy Story."

The discussion thread for the movie fell of the front page again. What are we up to? Discussion Round Six? I'm sure a lot of Whedonites, Whedonists, and others from the land of Whedondale will still want to discuss the movie. Also, are we all ready to see an influx of new Whedon fans on here? It might get to be as big and messy as New York City after this.

Nebula1400 | May 06, 21:39 CET

I think it's it can have any number of nominees up to 10. It's not a set number anymore.

DreamRose311 | May 06, 21:43 CET

Oh, I don't think it's a better "movie" than "The Dark Knight", but that entire Nolan franchise is SRS BSNS in a way that "The Avengers" nor its indivudal predecessors aren't meant to be. "The Avengers" will ultimately... probably... outgross it, though. In fact, the global box office will probably guarantee it. Domestic box office... probably is as far as I'll go even after the first weekend being a 30%+ increase. Gotta see how many people are still seeing it in a few weeks/months, especially since I think more movies will be there to chip into its box office than were there for "The Dark Knight".

I'd say "Avengers" is 50/50 to get a token best picture nom, but by contrast, I'd say "The Dark Knight" or "Inception" were legitimate arguments to win the thing but for Academy antipathy for commercial success and/or genre storytelling. I love "Avengers" but nothing about it says best picture contender to me, I would have needed for it to feel more "deep". It's not a profound movie, it's just an awesome blast of fun.

KingofCretins | May 06, 21:43 CET

I'm euphoric. I can't believe this is happening. I feel as excited and proud as if Joss were a close friend or family member. I am so happy for him. We've won!

AMCsoldier | May 06, 21:47 CET

@DreamRose311: It is apples and oranges with TDK and Avengers, you're right. But where I think Avengers and TDK are comparable is in the treatment of the characters the movies were named after.

The Avengers all shined as characters and people and were the reason the movie was awesome.

The Dark Knight (a.k.a. Batman) was just along for the ride in the Joker's movie. Don't get me wrong, I loved the film, excellently made, and I saw it four times in the theater...

...but Heath Ledger made it what it was. Batman was there to hit people.

pat32082 | May 06, 21:47 CET

Great news to see that Joss is finally getting the recognition he deserves...

... that said, I'm a bit torn between being a fanboy of both all things Whedon and all things Nolan. I kinda want "The Dark Knight Rises" to do better than "Avengers" but then I kinda don't want it to do as well...

... that said, I love that we even have the option of saying such things now.

IcedPhoenix | May 06, 21:53 CET

Nolan's Batman flicks and Avengers have very little in common, other than being freight train based (momentum! momentum!). They're just very different -- awesome -- movies I wouldn't put in the same room.

gossi | May 06, 21:57 CET

Only reason I want "The Dark Knight Rises" to kick ass at box office is so Bane, as a character, earns back his reputation for awesomeness wasted in "Batman and Robin". And I want this trilogy to go out on top. But there's no one one one pissing contest for me between "The Avengers" and "The Dark Knight Rises", nor between their directors. I was one of the folks who had high hopes for the Buffy remake that's now toast because there was talk there would be some Syncopy involvement. Those two are going to be kings of the summer (I think Spider-Man will, compared to these, be a bust).

KingofCretins | May 06, 21:58 CET

@KingofCretins, were any of the Lord of the Rings movies or the first Star Wars "profound" movies?

@Dreamrose311, its apples and oranges in terms of direct comparison. Both are valid interpretations of the genre. The distinction is that Marvel and Joss took the superhero genre by the wheel and completely shifted gears, much like the first Star Wars did to the scifi genre. Both movies were about proving that you can commit to putting pulp imagery of the genre's past on the screen, and still absolutely have character and gravitas. Meanwhile, Nolan is left in the past, making his IMAX Silent Running.

Arsenal | May 06, 22:01 CET

I am so happy right now. To Joss and his Avengers!

As for The Dark Knight, I think it has nothing on this. It was self-indulgent, melodramatic, but worst of all, cold and passionless - when the Joker wasn't on screen. Good acting throughout but otherwise it was about as vibrant as a dead fish. If there's anything Joss and his writing don't lack, it's passion, and that's why his work will always be better than Nolan's. Leaving the theatre after The Avengers, I felt happy to be a part of the human race. After The Dark Knight I was just happy to be outside where it was light. Nolan knows what he wants and gets it, so I suppose that makes him a good director. But I'll never understand why his films are so awe-inspiring to most people.

[ edited by prettymaryk on 2012-05-06 22:04 ]

prettymaryk | May 06, 22:04 CET

I can't beleive we've actually reached the point where we can discuss wether or not Joss will win an Academy award this year. So much success... So much praise... So money money...

wasabi17 | May 06, 22:05 CET

@KingofCretins, were any of the Lord of the Rings movies or the first Star Wars "profound" movies?

Pardon the expression but why so serious? I actually would consider both of those films to be more "deep" than "The Avengers". NTTIAWWT. "The Avengers" is the laugh and jump in your seat fun thrill ride that is not particularly demanding that pays off five previous such movies (Iron Man x2, Thor, Hulk, Cap). In this, it will be probably the most popular and commercially successful comic book movie ever made.

I'm actually pretty surprised to see that there is some Chris Nolan "Dark Knight" chip on the shoulder action out there... has this been a thing that I didn't know about? People wanting "The Avengers" to do well as a 'take THAT!' to the Dark Knight trilogy? The universe is vast enough to contain both of these beloved franchises... I thought. There are things better about each one than the other.

KingofCretins | May 06, 22:13 CET

I can understand the urge to avoid comparing TDK and Avengers. They are both great movies that tried to do very different things, and both succeeded very well at doing what they meant to do. As a result, part of me feels a little petty in trying to compare them. All that said, I don't see how you can NOT compare them. Up until now, TDK was considered the gold standard for all superhero movies. If you are a fan of such movies, like I am, I don't think you can avoid asking the question: Is there now a new gold standard? (And IMO, the answer is hell yes).

As fans, don't we live for these kinds of debates?

Squishy | May 06, 22:21 CET

Squealing with glee! :-D

cleveland | May 06, 22:27 CET

I'm not seeing the depth in the Rings movies, just MHO. The artistry and genre redefining sure. Same with ANH. You wanna make an argument for Empire, I can dig it, but the original Star Wars was the Oscar nominee.

Its not about Avengers being a poke at Nolan. Its about the evolution of the currently most successful movie genre. Its about the feeling that Nolan's undeniably tremendous work is nevertheless pointing that genre is the wrong direction. Am I biased as a fan who wants to see a Batman film worthy of Neal Adams, Bruce Timm and Paul Dini? Sure. But there is simply more that you can do with Batman that crank the grim-dark level up to 11!

Just on a financial, franchise building level, DC has painted themselves in the corner. There was actually a quote from about a year ago from an exec saying that Green Lantern would have performed better if it went "the Dark Knight path." They simply DO NOT get it.

Arsenal | May 06, 22:31 CET

I think it's more like an alternate form of currency. "The Avengers" proves that there's more than one right answer. I think they are each equal pinnacles to what you can do with the superhero genre. What they are the gold standards of are as different as the characters that they feature. Quick, what's a better movie, "Star Wars" or "The Godfather"? I think any genuine movie lover would have to stutter and be like "... but..." before deciding how to judge. "The Dark Knight" and "The Avengers" are kinda gonna be the same (really, the entire Nolan franchise and the Marvel produced "Avengers" preambles as well). Another allegory is going to be the great War of '94, and trying to say definitively whether "Pulp Fiction" or "Forrest Gump" is 'better'. What tastes better, Blue or Music?

I'd say "The Dark Knight" is going to stand as the gold standard for proving that you can do a superhero/comic movie as high drama, thought-provoking, gritty crime story. And "The Avengers" will be the new gold standard in how to make a superhero movie that neither takes itself too seriously or too lightly, delivers on all the bombast and visual candy you could ask. "The Dark Knight" is the pinnacle of superhero movies being respected as "serious" movies; "The Avengers" is the apotheosis of all the summer movies that audiences loved but Academy snobs sniff their nose at. These two kids should not be fighting for adoration. A mother had two sons, one won the Nobel Prize for chemistry and the other became a rock star so famous that he started his own worldwide philanthropy -- which son is best? That's what this argument is like.

KingofCretins | May 06, 22:34 CET

TDK to me is a crime drama, not a SUPERhero film. Even the Batman comics are more crime drama then superhero comic. You can't really compare them.
That said, you give Joss Batman material and you give Nolan Avengers material and Joss would make the better film, hands down.

lisatwingomez | May 06, 22:41 CET

Wait a minute. 118 comments on this thread? And there's been several posts like that recently. Just 4 or 5 months ago, 20 seemed like a lot...

[ edited by wasabi17 on 2012-05-06 22:52 ]

wasabi17 | May 06, 22:44 CET

In fairness, most Dollhouse threads were 200+ comments. It's nice when there's things to actually talk about.

gossi | May 06, 22:52 CET

Yeah. Just, yeah.

wasabi17 | May 06, 22:53 CET

That is probably true, I don't know how meaningful it is, though -- I don't think there's an "Avengers" character that would really ping Nolan's creative radar, based on his overall work, whereas Joss, by geek reputation alone, wouldn't be much of a Joss if he couldn't muster together an idea for Batman. If you simply must have the fight, pick a different franchise altogether and argue it out; which one would make a better... "Highlander" remake or some other beloved franchise, for instance.

They are very different men and very different artists, and I really can't fathom why people are inventing a rivalry between them in the first place.

KingofCretins | May 06, 22:53 CET

I only saw TDK once, and I've had no desire to see it again.

I've seen The Avengers four times, and will be seeing it again tomorrow.

I can't care about ANY of the characters in TDK, because the one interesting character was a complete sociopath.

In the Avengers, every one of the main characters (including Loki) is not only interesting, but you understand something about why they are the way they are, and why they make the choices that they do.

Plus, there is so much more to The Avengers than psycho killers and blowing up things in the dark, that we will be talking about it for YEARS. There is also an overarching theme with numerous variations to it throughout the story.

TDK is simply about a sociopath who takes out his rage and despair on bigger sociopaths. If I want that kind of entertainment, I'll spend the afternoon hanging with my former boss...

At any rate, whether or not there are little golden eunuchs in Joss's future is anyone's guess.

Nebula1400 | May 06, 22:59 CET

"The Dark Knight" contained some of the most poorly constructed screenwriting I've come across to date (for instance the Jokers plans always demanded that he'd be able to accurately predict the outcome of about 50 coincidences that could go either way. As a whole the characterization was also all over the place), as did "Inception". Christopher Nolan is a promising director but his kid brother shouldn't be handling the writing, David Goyers screenplay for "Batman Begins" was much, much better. TDK got most of it's momentum from stealing plotlines from Millers "Dark Knight Returns" but in a shallow, half-assed manner and probably killing the chance of ever getting that particular work adapted as a film.

eyeboogers | May 06, 23:01 CET

I'm afraid I'm about to 'pile on', I love a lot about 'the Dark Knight', but I always have to see it on DVD because I cannot sit through a full hour (or more) of car chases. I need to fast forward through stuff that bores me senseless.
Joss' fight/climax was the funniest part of his movie! He had so much interaction packed into his action that the big huge battle was priceless.... No action film has ever done that as well (IMO).

embers | May 06, 23:05 CET

Hey! Everyone! Let's stop before we get into a full-fledged argument! Stating your opinion and speculating about numbers is one thing, but when we feel the need to back up our opinions with generalizations and dismissals of the ideas/tastes of others, we've gone too far. Again, stop, while the fledged-ness is only partial!

Basically, can we get a bit more on topic? I know nobody's been out of line yet, but it's getting close, and I'm having trouble reading through all this to findthe stuff more directly related to the article.

[ edited by wasabi17 on 2012-05-06 23:10 ]

wasabi17 | May 06, 23:08 CET

Who wants to predict how big The Avengers drop will be next weekend? If it drops 70 percent it will make 60 million which is still a phenomenal number(I think my math is right.) But because of word of mouth it will probably be closer to a 50 percent drop. 100 million 2nd weekend. Thats huge.

[ edited by eddy on 2012-05-06 23:20 ]

eddy | May 06, 23:19 CET

I am just so amused by the thought that after breaking money making records, Joss is sat at home scrolling through Whedonesque comments. Probably not happening, but fun to think of.

Seeing all this Dark Knight debate has made me think though... Why is it that as Humans we always have to compare and decide? It's like we can't just have two great movies, one HAS to be better. I understand it, but I don't comprehend...

Meh, I probably just dragged myself into a topic I didn't want to be in the first place, but hey. It seemed like a Joss thing to do. Josstified.

Dude Meister | May 06, 23:21 CET

@Kingof Cretins, again, I’m not disputing that you can do multiple things with the superhero genre, just like the Western genre can have Unforgiven, Blazing Saddles, Once Upon a Time in the West, and The Searchers. Heck, you can even put Roy Rogers on a horse singing with a guitar, and its totally valid. :D

That doesn't change the fact that several genre iterations comment on and critique one another, and change the way that we view the genre. Genres do progress, and I personally feel that Avengers is a much needed evolution away from the trend towards grim dark.

There’s also an valid aspect of this conversation that we haven’t taken regarding how superhero comics have suffered from grim-dark overload for a while now. Avengers is a refreshing response to that. IMHO, this comes down to the fact that Joss is just a more eclectic and talented master of genre than most writers and filmmakers.

@lisatwingomez, it’s a crime infused, technicolor superhero genre with dudes wearing green spandex covered in question marks. Batman is, in no way, pure crime fiction. Obviously there are many different ways to interpret, Batman, but that’s *exactly my point*. Even the grittiest of current comics are kaleidoscopes of camp compared to Nolan's take.

Arsenal | May 06, 23:24 CET

At work I occasionally talk with people about Joss's projects, and I usually get blank stares. No more. Now I can just say, "The writer and director of The Avengers," and everyone will understand.

I'm so glad Joss both wrote and directed the movie. Without this the other person could have gotten credit for the movie's success, but with Joss doing both there's no question about who gets credit for the movie's vision (writer) and execution (director).

SteveP | May 06, 23:24 CET

With all this hype and chatter, it really is hard to write a review on the film... Any other fellow web-critics out there having the same issue?

Dude Meister | May 06, 23:25 CET

@Dude Meister, come on, glass half full! Its about the human spirit seeing greatness, but always aspiring for more! :D

Arsenal | May 06, 23:26 CET

Congratulations Joss. I thoroughly enjoyed the show. I can't speak highly enough of the film. I hope everyone goes to see it for themselves.

sporter | May 06, 23:27 CET

"What tastes better, Blue or Music?" This. Very much This.

KingOfCretins - you say things I want to say but don't know how to :o)

DreamRose311 | May 06, 23:29 CET

@Arsenal Hmm... Every idea's got a dozen sides, I guess. Maybe if we looked hard enough TDK would be one of The Avenger's sides...

Okay, things are getting waaaaaay too deep. ;)

Dude Meister | May 06, 23:33 CET

Arsenal and Dude Meister, nah, it's about survival of the fittest. Pick the best thing so you can align yourself with it. Strongest bear has the most babies. Strongest movie has the most, uh, sequels? Nevermind. I had a point, but it's a bit dull, and i can't remember why it was pointy anyways.

Also, anyone dare to take a guess at how well Much Ado will do if/when it manages to hit theaters?

wasabi17 | May 06, 23:36 CET

Based on Iron Man and The Dark Knight, this could easily only have a 50% drop. That would be stellar. Even a 60% drop gives it the highest second weekend over Avatar

DreamRose311 | May 06, 23:38 CET

@wasabi Depends how/if they market it... "From the writer/director of the year's most acclaimed action-superhero film comes... Black & White Shakespeare!". Although, I'd see that 10 times for the curiosity alone if I didn't know what it was. But yeah, I think it'll be a hit for older audiences/Whedonites first, at least until it gathers up enough momentum so that a younger audience will want in too.

This is, of course, if it even makes it to theaters. I'm sure WE'LL all be there opening night if it does.

Dude Meister | May 06, 23:42 CET

@DreamRose311 "Based on Iron Man and The Dark Knight, this could easily only have a 50% drop. That would be stellar. Even a 60% drop gives it the highest second weekend over Avatar"

I don't know the stats offhand, but how were TDK and Iron Man in comparison on Cinemascore? Right now, Avengers is at an A+, which suggests the strongest word of mouth. Also, Avengers doesn't seem to have a lot of strong competition. I think an argument could be made for it crushing Dark Shadows, MIB3, and Battleship. Maybe not a strong argument. :D

Arsenal | May 06, 23:45 CET

Anyone else think it's going to be in the top ten highest grossing films of all time? It's only got another $400 million to go to achieve this by my reckoning.

Simon | May 06, 23:45 CET

@Simon With huge overseas numbers, I think a stronger argument can be made for international. Too soon for domestic. The Hunger Games, for example, just didn't do as well internationally. Avengers has already surpassed it.

Arsenal | May 06, 23:51 CET

Suligane, Iron Man 3 is being directed by Shane Black, it's almost as good as Joss himself directing it. Shane Black wrote and directed Kiss, Kiss, Bang, Bang which IMO make Robert Downey JR. relevant again.

He also wrote Lethal Weapon, Long Kiss Goodnight and The Monster Squad. Iron Man 3 is going to rock.

ShannonMS81 | May 07, 00:01 CET

My wonderful agreed when I said, "to hell with it being a beautiful Sunday afternoon, let's go see it." So we did and it was awesome. Still, there must be a lot of people waiting for two years, but couldn't free this weekend on their schedules.

CaptainB | May 07, 00:02 CET

Simon, that would be fantastic. Our little Joss!

Giles_314 | May 07, 00:03 CET

Simon, with the world wide box office enjoying it as much as it is, and even if it's curve in the domestic box office is pretty average, this movie will have a hard time *not* having a worldwide gross of less than a billion, which would make it only the 12th such movie all time.

It would need to $1.024 billion to hit the top 10 worldwide. And it only needs $415 to be in the top 10 for US box office -- and it will have broken $300 million by this time next week. It would actually be a surprise in terms of US box office at this point if it didn't become the 4th $500 million grosser (for those still hell bent on imagining that "The Avengers" and "The Dark Knight" are enemies, the numbers to beat for US and worldwide box office are $533 million and $1.002 billion respectively).

Releases of other event movies* are going to hurt the rewatch audience a bit compared to the "big three" of the US box office (two fall movies, Titanic and Avatar, and a July, tail-end-of-summer-movie-season Dark Knight), but I think it has a legit chance of bumping Dark Knight to #3, I don't, however, think it will take the $130-ish million jump up to Titanic.

*Battleship, 5/18; Prometheus 6/1, and then you get into July itself where first Spider-Man and then, yes, The Dark Knight Rises will probably displace "The Avengers" or drop it to just 1-2 shows per theater. And that's without factoring in other fare like "Dark Shadows", "MIB 3", or "Brave".

KingofCretins | May 07, 00:05 CET

Yeah, Joss has mentioned he wants a break this summer after working so tirelessly on the Avengers. However, it looks like he is also working on writing Wastelanders with Warren Ellis. In Warren Ellis' most recent newsletter he has mentioned that he is working on an outline on something he can't talk about for months. It got me think that perhaps this is Wastelanders, going to route of Much Ado About Nothing where there is no news until it finally wraps. That seem to be quite successful in getting a lot of attention to Much Ado About Nothing, so I wouldn't be surprised if Joss does it again that way.

Matt_Fabb | May 07, 00:37 CET

@Arsenal - I don't know, I don't follow a lot of this CinemaScore stuff, and actually hadn't heard of it until Cabin. I thought about looking into it until I saw the list of the few A+'s, and I couldn't fathom Toy Story 2 getting an A+ but not Toy Story 3. (Or the first one for that matter).

DreamRose311 | May 07, 00:42 CET

@DreamRose311, you're right, Cinemascore makes the kind of sense that doesn't.

I think another thing to consider is that Avengers seems to be getting a huge 3D bump. A lot of these ticket sales involve a huge boost in prices from 3D screenings. This reasoning has been used to clarify the ridiculous box office for movies like Avatar and Alice in Wonderland. Perhaps that's a good reason to distinguish its performance from Iron Man 1 and TDK.

Arsenal | May 07, 00:47 CET

It's been a while since I posted here, but I had to swing by and join in the celebrating. Brilliant movie and everyone involved deserves all of the success.

Lady Brick | May 07, 01:03 CET

Arsenal I agree with your comments about Batman. I LOVE the Nolan films. But DC has painted themselves into a corner. They have a Batman franchise that doesn't allow for the rest of the DC Universe.

I think DC/Warner needs to stop work on everything for 2-3 years. And slowly relaunch all their franchises. As it stands right now, they really can't do a JLA movie.

ShannonMS81 | May 07, 01:04 CET

Well, they are stuck with "Man of Steel", so hopefully Henry Cavill is a hit and (more hopefully) they don't emo-fy Superman so much that he's barely Superman. But I think Snyder and Nolan will have that as a pretty good movie. They'd be looking at having to relaunch Batman and then *also* getting a Wonder Woman movie made to even attempt to build up to a JLA movie the way Marvel did with the Avengers. You could probably get away with bringing the other JLAers in without a set up flick if you included them in others (a la Black Widow and Hawkeye).

KingofCretins | May 07, 01:16 CET

@KingofCretins, I would love nothing more than to have DC/WB pay attention to this franchise success, and reappraise their approach. But I think its far more likely that Black Widow will see solo movie success long before Wonder Woman (thanks to Joss!). DC have all of one movie on their slate after TDKR. Marvel has a billion dollar success in Avengers, coming off of 5 reasonably successful foundation movies, and a whole slate of sequels already in production.

I'm very curious to see what happens when the dude who made Sucker Punch works with Nolan.

Arsenal | May 07, 01:27 CET

Amazing news!

Ps: not sure what happened there... I saw this news at boxoffice mojo and then came here to see if someone had posted it... For some reason it wasn't showing my the latest posts... I guess it didn't update my page from last night or something, so i posted my own version of this news... Sorry about that

mortimer | May 07, 01:32 CET

I think Nolan will have him reined in pretty well. The problems with Sucker Punch were not the action sequences, anyway. Goyer has impeccable genre chops, IMO, and the Nolan brand name says a lot on its own. "Man of Steel" has a lot of potential.

I actually really enjoyed the punched up Maria Hill part, btw -- Cobie is the second, hidden F-U to Warner Bros/DC hidden in this movie, aside from the $200 million weekend. Joss and Cobie could have been making them some money pretty recently.

I don't know about a Black Widow movie, but mostly because I think, even if you include Hawkeye, that movie would have to be a lot different than this one and all the others before it and even the Thor and Iron Man sequels, it just wouldn't fit. I'd watch it, but it would definitely feel out of place. That's not a knock on Black Widow, I think she was one of the strongest characters in the movie (not surprising, considering both the actor and the director).

KingofCretins | May 07, 01:38 CET

Since Joss will make bank on this, does that mean he can go throw a wad of cash at fox/universal, and just buy all of the rights to Firefly/Serenity and distribute episodes online? That's how this thing works... right? Right?

dog13000 | May 07, 01:46 CET

I'm hoping the massive success of this movie will have introduced Whedon to a wider circle of fans. We had him first, we knew he was cool before anyone else did, but I'm happy to let other people know too. :) Particularly if it means that he can work on whatever he wants to from now on, which I hope is the lasting result of the Avengers. The Avengers was great. Now can we bring back Firefly please ? :)

lbowman | May 07, 01:46 CET

Yea! so happy for Joss and all the hundreds of people who worked on this gigantic movie, the credit list was impressive. I can't even imagine how Joss dealt with all that at once. Huzzah! I care about the box office, and have been following it because (we know why.) So proud of Joss Whedon, He always does spectacular work, and getting some well deserved recognition.
I now hope his wife and kids can go somewhere warm and peacful to just be. Good long life to you Sir!

silver81 | May 07, 02:07 CET

YAY!! GO JOSS!!

Ok so let's all NOT go see The Dark Knight Rises on opening weekend to secure Joss this place!!

Wait...but that means I have to wait to see Th-

YAY!! GO JOSS!!

nothing lasts forever!..yay

twitter: @mikellevirey

Mikelle Vein | May 07, 02:17 CET

So the 3's of Joss Whedon's career have finally become D (at least in the rest of the world's estimation - his works have been fully multi-dimmensional for those of us in the know for more years than seems possible). It couldn't happen to a more talented and deserving guy. It always seemed to me that he just needed that one big break before his career would explode. I know a lot of us long-time fans are concerned about the changes this will cause to his future projects (particularly in scope); however, with this success will hopefully come more freedom to do things as he sees fit and I trust in him completely to bring us compelling stories with fully developed characters in circumstances that will resonate with us both intellectually and emotionally. Personally, I can't wait.

JossIzBoss | May 07, 02:35 CET

When so much $hit was blowing up during the Avengers, I was thinking particularly of episodes like "the Body" and "Once More with Feeling," and couldn't help but being in awe that this is the same guy.
But of course, everything with Black Widow, Hulk, Iron Man, and well, everyone's dialogue and character development, it wasn't too hard to imagine.

[ edited by CaptainB on 2012-05-07 02:50 ]

CaptainB | May 07, 02:49 CET

I thought the scene between the Black Widow and Loki was very reminiscent of the scene in Silence of the Lambs where Clarice Starling first interviews Hannibal Lecter in his cell. I wonder if this was deliberate on Joss' part to stage it that way.

jettamesis | May 07, 03:33 CET

Yes, I noticed that too. I think Joss definitely intended to evoke the dynamics between Lecter and Starling in Silence of the Lambs, albeit only to subvert that famous scene by revealing that it was the female law enforcement officer that was in control the whole time, and the evil villain who was being manipulated.

[ edited by Squishy on 2012-05-07 03:42 ]

Squishy | May 07, 03:41 CET

I didn't really take a "Silence of the Lambs" vibe from it -- it was just a perfect call back to her first scene; feigning vulnerability to get information. First, it's physical vulnerability, allowing herself to be "captured" and "tortured", with Loki, she plays at emotional vulnerability, but both times it's just her totally in control of the conversation.

KingofCretins | May 07, 03:46 CET

By the way, having seen this movie twice now, I still can't think of whether anyone actually said "Avengers Assemble." Did I miss it or did Joss choose to forego the obvious catch phrase?

Squishy | May 07, 03:54 CET

Every bit with Loki in the cage made me think back to Angel Season 4, with Angelus being behind bars and yet being completely in control of everyone else. Except, unlike Angelus, when Loki escaped, he was still scary.

Giles_314 | May 07, 04:00 CET

This is wonderful, wonderful news! Couldn't be happier for Joss. Dance of Joy!

jacobsfoot | May 07, 04:22 CET

Had to share this person's tweet:

Joss Whedon should come to #sdcc and just jog a victory lap in Hall H, high five everyone, and leave.

The One True b!X | May 07, 04:27 CET

There were a lot of points in the movie that seemed to be homages to other scenes: the first scene with Black Widow reminded me of the first scene of Alias, and the destruction of the lab at the beginning was oh-so-Sunnydale.

Ronald_SF | May 07, 04:28 CET

I saw the film yesterday and it was so good, I totally forgot to pass out exhaustion due the preceding week and the pain I was feeling from more exertion than I have done in months!

Thanks Joss! Your work is the perfect stimulant/analgesic that money can buy!!

:P

But yeah, this film was just icing on the cake I've been eating for years and I can't for the world to join the party!

BlueEyedBrigadier | May 07, 04:44 CET

Someone pointed out to me how older Marvel Studio movies have increased in sales. I took a look at Amazon.com and saw that not only was that happening but Firefly on blu-ray was #18 and Serenity on Blu-Ray was #20. I wonder if this is the result in just not the praise Joss has gotten in the reviews, but with all the press of Joss' previous work has gotten.

Matt_Fabb | May 07, 05:09 CET

Running out of breath, you children are trying me!

What'd I miss?

Madhatter | May 07, 05:24 CET

Half the fun of watching this movie (for the 2nd time) was looking at all the random faces around me and thinking "Oh wow, they get it. They get JOSS!". I felt like proud Mama or something, I totally would have taken him out for ice-cream after, too.

So happy for Joss and for everyone involved in making the film.

missb | May 07, 05:34 CET

Wait a minute. Glory is Loki? By the way, does that mean our Cast&Crew category just tripled? So many whedalum now!

Mort | May 07, 07:07 CET

Amazing news! This film gave me a smile the whole way through and this great warm feeling. I realized at the end that us lucky few, who have been at Joss back all these years, had won something. Congrats Joss on everything. As the credits rolled I leaned forward and read the text of the person sitting in front of me (something I never do) to see what they were saying about the film:

“The Avengers kicked ass!”

Then my smile got wider. I don’t think I’ll forget this night. Well done, Joss!

silent knight | May 07, 07:08 CET

Just got back from my 4th viewing. Our screening was at 6:15. It was sold out by 5. There were lines already formed for the next 4 showings. When we got out at 9, there were still lines for upcoming times. We stopped to get a snack before heading out of the mall. When we did leave at 10PM, there were still lines.

When was the last time you heard of a movie getting sold out and having lines on a Sunday night? Probably never. This is exciting and new territory.

Also, the estimates are likely wrong. Over $200 mil is pretty much guaranteed. And not just 300K like they're saying now.

PS. While I know what the line is, I still haven't actually heard "puny god" with my own ears. Crowds are always laughing.

danregal | May 07, 07:14 CET

Glowing write-up of the news in the L.A. Times:

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/la-et-boxoffice-20120507,0,2730797.story

The filmmaker initially worried that the movie might collapse under the weight of so many super-personas. In fact, last year, on the New Mexico set of the film, no one was more acutely aware of that danger than the Hollywood writer known for pitch-perfect comedy and group dialogue.

"The Avengers" represents a career hallmark for Whedon, who co-wrote the screenplay with Zak Penn. Despite an ardent fan base and plenty of critical acclaim and industry respect, the creator of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" had yet to have a breakout hit film — though he did receive an Oscar nomination as a screenwriter on Pixar's "Toy Story."

As if the news weren't already positive enough for Marvel and parent company Disney, moviegoers loved the film, assigning it a perfect average grade of A+, according to market research firm CinemaScore. That score indicates that the movie will generate excellent word of mouth in the weeks to come, helping to propel the movie into the billion-dollar club at the worldwide box office — an elite group comprising just 11 films, led by James Cameron's "Avatar" and "Titanic."

[ edited by Ronald_SF on 2012-05-07 07:19 ]

Ronald_SF | May 07, 07:17 CET

Too bad the LA Times doesn't know that he didn't co-write the screenplay with Zak Penn.

The One True b!X | May 07, 07:23 CET

JOSS WHEDON has a movie that has the all-time biggest opening, a CinemaScore grade of A+, and RottenTomatoes rating of 94%.

Money, audiences, and critics.

Is this real liiiiife?

Ronald_SF | May 07, 07:25 CET

This was a long time coming. Congratulations Joss Whedon. I want to cry because I'm so happy this is happening. Finally people will know how much talent this man has.

Slayin Days | May 07, 07:33 CET

Oh wow, that's fantastic - and none deserves this kind of success more than Joss. Congratulations!

This calls for a major celebration. With cake.

clouds and lemonade | May 07, 09:36 CET

OK guys, after following the box office reports all weekend, here are the ideas I've come up with: 1) we each buy two tickets for ourselves. If you're especially flush, buy out a whole theatre! 2)we create banners and post to every friend on our MySpace accounts how awesome this movie is! 3) If all else fails, I'm prepared to collect donations for a fan-funded sequel.

Hee.

As a long-time fan of Joss, I am THRILLED he's having this success. And it's not just the box office numbers -- it's also that the movie is getting love from critics and the general public alike. I've been a fan for years, have witnessed the ups and downs, and have enjoyed countless hours of entertainment from the man. And through the fandom I've made some great friendships and met my significant other due to mutual Joss love. My life would be completely different had I never heard of Joss, and that's not hyperbole. I bet many of us here can say that. So I'm proud of Joss. I know it's misplaced as I don't know him personally, but his works have been such a large part of my life for so long that I'll indulge in some misplaced pride.

Congrats sir, so very happy for your success.

[ edited by Dizzy on 2012-05-07 10:01 ]

Dizzy | May 07, 09:59 CET

So happy to see Joss having a fantastically spectacular success! Kudos.

Really pissed that Roadshow have decided in their infinite wisdom to not release Cabin In The Woods direct to DVD in Australia but instead give it a theatrical release in… THREE whole cinemas. Three. In the whole. damn. country. Can ya believe it??

Now, horror films freak me the hell out, so I prolly wouldn't have gone to see it regardless. But srsly, three cinemas? A highly anticipated film with a well-established and enthusiastic fanbase from the director of the box-office-smashing The Avengers? I just… GAH!

crystalsinger | May 07, 10:19 CET

Crystalsinger, they don't want to pay for publicity for a release.

gossi | May 07, 10:23 CET

As a Joss fan I feel compelled to rub this HUGE HUGE success in the face of every nay sayer that I have ever met. Is that wrong?
We've known for a long long time. Joss does it better.

cheryl | May 07, 12:08 CET

I am verklempt. This news is completely and totally crazy, but you know what? I'm going to sit back and savor it and be obscenely satisfied that a Joss Whedon written and directed movie just shattered the opening weekend domestic box office like Hulk on a rampage.

It's so sweet, in comparison to the usual bittersweetness of being a Whedon fan.

dottikin | May 07, 12:21 CET

Estimates now put Avengers weekend gross at $205m

Illy | May 07, 12:31 CET

Congratulations, Joss. We were all just waiting for this. Now you should be able to do anything you want! (we hope).

Liannon | May 07, 13:33 CET

He really will never have a brighter star in the business than he does right now, and will never have a better opportunity to make whatever he wants for a couple years than he does right now. It's not to say that "it's all downhill from here", but the odds are, even popular or successful movies he makes aren't going to be $500M/$1B grossers again. He's got at least a window here where he has Spielberg/Cameron/Nolan-like clout.

It's actually a good news bad/news thing -- because a year from now when the thrill has faded and people that have longed for more "Firefly" or a "Serenity" sequel or a "Buffy" movie (any of which he could now get made without question) are, most likely, still longing, there won't be any other reason that those things aren't being made than that Joss has not chosen to make them. Those are legitimate choices, plenty of reasons he may decide not to, but there won't be any more chance of fingerpointing at studios over it.

KingofCretins | May 07, 14:37 CET

I love that this has given all of the Whedon world so much joy! I don't normally care about box office, but every time I see the numbers for AVENGERS, I just smile so big!

Can't wait to see it again tonight.

hmbscully | May 07, 15:12 CET

I have to wait until the weekend to see it again -- my kid would kill me if I went without her! She's 7 years old and this is the first movie she's had a fangirl reaction to. She can't stop talking about. It reminds me of that first flush of fandom for the original Star Wars trilogy. Kids who see the Avengers will never be the same again, it's that kind of movie.

Yeah, sure, there are people who will never get Joss, but that's their loss. My family are like that. They're like that NYT movie critic. They like their art to have the word "ART" stamped on it. [shrug] What can ya do?

I'm over the moon with joy at his box office success. Whatever Joss chooses to do from here on out is his call and I cannot wait to see all the amazing, wondrous work that is to come. While he will certainly get some bigtime offers for other tentpole movies, it's obvious he'll always have his own projects to nurture, but with money & clout behind them now.

punkinpuss | May 07, 16:26 CET

We have officially entered the Age of Joss! I'm definitely enjoying the moment.

As for what his next move is, I'm sure what will follow will be better or worse and will make more or less than the Avengers.

alexreager | May 07, 16:26 CET

Can we get this thread over 200? It would be appropriate...

zz9 | May 07, 16:28 CET

Box Office Mojo states that now worldwide Avengers is the highest grossing of all the Avengers flicks including Iron Man 2 ($624). Avengers is at $641.8 worldwide after this weekend. :)

LOUiE | May 07, 18:12 CET

Estimates have been upped again, it's now $207m

gossi | May 07, 18:24 CET

I'll be the 194th comment (only 6 more needed to reach 200); I am so giddy about Avengers! I've spent the entire weekend reading reviews and watching video interviews and tweeting! Of course I also managed to see Avengers twice, because it is wonderful. And I've made some new icons.... I think I need to do some fan art. I am so in love with the Hulk.
*sigh*
I am so happy, this is huge for Joss!

embers | May 07, 18:37 CET

When will the actuals be available?

mnspnr | May 07, 18:39 CET

Actuals around midday today (PST).

gossi | May 07, 18:43 CET

@punkinpuss, a friend of mine on FB was upset when she saw a 7-year-old at Avengers (apparently with the parent). She said maybe down to 10 was okay, but that this was really an adult movie, so that's bad parenting. I disagreed (it's practically all-ages), but several parents chimed in agreeing with her. I'm not a parent (though I was raised by a couple), so in their eyes my argument is meaningless.

Obviously you felt it was okay to bring your daughter to. What are your feelings about it? Is your daughter scarred by the violence and bound to become a violent person?

My argument was that ratings are a suggestion, and as long as the parent is there and knows their kid that it should be fine. I've met 13-year-olds (and 14 and 15...) I wouldn't take to The Hunger Games, but I've met plenty of 7-year-olds who would be fine at The Avengers.

Not looking to derail the discussion, apologies ahead of time if that happens (kinda figured it was safe since this is about to go off the front page)

bobw1o | May 07, 18:46 CET

My favorite place to look is the Box Office Mojo Weekend Chart since it shows just the numbers. Should only be a few more hours before we have actuals.

danregal | May 07, 18:48 CET

The only reason I didn't take Willow (age 8) was because of the run-time. Torture to make a little kid sit still for 2+ hours anywhere, let alone a dark theater.

Also selfish me didn't want to have to miss any of the movie if she had to go potty. Kids always have to go potty.

Willowy | May 07, 18:52 CET

Aside from taking more internationally than Captain America, Thor, Iron Man 1 and 2 it's also already overtaken The Hunger Games. Shit the bed.

gossi | May 07, 18:53 CET

I think Joss would be proud of that 200th post, gossi. :)

Willowy | May 07, 20:25 CET

Looks like it was actually $207 million and total worldwide $654.8 through Sunday. Super amazing!

LOUiE | May 07, 20:34 CET

Aside from the terrific news for the citizens of the 'verse, Joss has set a high bar for the production of summer films, which, apart from some notable exceptions, have been nothing but underwritten CGI visual & audio assaults. Once again, Joss has given an example of the possibilities of a medium and a genre within that medium which can serve as a touchstone for those who are coming next.

bluegrrl | May 07, 23:26 CET

May 06 2012