In a news release on Sunday, Walt Disney Studios reported “The Avengers,” featuring Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, and The Hulk, brought in $200.3 million its opening weekend in 4,300 U.S. theaters, smashing the previous domestic record for any movie’s first three days. Disney gained the rights to the characters from “The Avengers” with its $4 billion purchase of the comic book publisher Marvel three years ago. The superhero smorgasbord was predicted to have a huge weekend, but exceeded expectations. Box Office Mojo, for example, predicted the film would bring in $172.5 million in its first weekend. The outcome of the domestic haul is well ahead of the $168 million “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2” conjured in its opening weekend domestically last July.
The nationwide record began on Friday when “The Avengers” took in $80.5 million, a figure Disney, described as the second-highest one-day domestic total. On Saturday, the movie added up a total of $69.7 million, which the studio said was a record for that weekend day. Including international ticket sales since opening on April 25, in Russia, Argentina, Bolivia, New Zealand, Mexico, Brazil, Ecuador, Peru, Malaysia, and the Philippines, the movie has already amassed $641.8 million in its first 12 days.
