‘Avengers Age of Ultron’ opens with second biggest debut ever
Avengers: Age of Ultron ruled the box office this weekend with a huge $187.7 million, which is the second-biggest debut ever, but may have been a disappointment to some, falling short of its predecessor, Marvel’s The Avengers ($207.4 million).
Age of Ultron continues to perform strong overseas, where it’s earned $439 million before even debuting in China or Japan.
Ultron‘s $187.7 million debut accounted for 85 percent of the Top 12 box office this weekend, which is a new record ahead of Spider-Man 3′s 83 percent.
The movie earned a bit more than the first Avengers on Friday, but its $57.2 million Saturday was 18 percent lower. That total was also below Iron Man 3‘s $62.3 million.
In the years since the first movie’s opening, no other title has opened anywhere close to $200 million. The sequel was expected to replicate that experience/performance, which was an unfair expectation in hindsight.
Joss Whedon at the world premiere of Marvel’s “Avengers: Age Of Ultron” at the Dolby Theatre on April 13, 2015 in Hollywood, California.
Box Office Mojo noted that “…the movie’s Saturday number likely suffered due to a handful of sporting events that drew a lot of attention. The Kentucky Derby and Clippers v. Spurs Game 7 were widely-viewed events, though neither seemed to capture the zeitgeist in the way that the Manny Pacquiao vs Floyd Mayweather fight did.”
AOU continues Marvel’s utter dominance over the domestic box office (it currently holds the top three openings ever).
Furious 7 got hit hard by Avengers: Age of Ultron, plummeting 66 percent to an estimated $6.1 million. The movie has now grossed $330.5 million, and will likely close just below $350 million.
“Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2 fell 62 percent to an estimated $5.55 million, which brings its total to $51.6 million. Meanwhile, DreamWorks Animation’s Home (2015) made the Top Five for the sixth weekend in a row, earning $3.3 million for a new total of $158.1 million,” the report stated.
In Mexico, it scored the biggest debut ever with $25.5 million. It had the second-highest opening Thailand ($7.4 million), and opened on par with the first movie in Spain ($6.2 million).
The next major market for Avengers is China, where it opens on May 12th. It’s likely going to be a massive hit there; $200 million seems like a lock, with $300 million in play as well. It also has yet to open in Japan, where the first movie earned over $45 million.
