The Korea Herald

지나쌤

'Avengers' smashes record: $200.3 million debut

By 윤민식

Published : May 7, 2012 - 10:49

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Hulk, smash.

That's what Captain America tells the Incredible Hulk to do in “The Avengers,” and that's what the Marvel Comics superhero mash-up did at the box office, smashing the domestic revenue record with a $200.3 million debut.



It's by far the biggest opening ever, shooting past the previous record of $169.2 million for the debut of last year's “Harry Potter” finale.

“The Avengers” added $151.5 million overseas over the weekend to bring its total to $441.5 million since it began opening internationally a week earlier.

That raised the film's worldwide haul to $641.8 million in barely a week and a half, more than its Marvel superhero forerunners “Iron Man,” “Iron Man 2,” “Thor” and “Captain America” took in during their entire runs.

If distributor Disney's domestic estimate Sunday holds when the final weekend count is released Monday, “The Avengers” would be the first movie ever to haul in $200 million in a single weekend.

While the number could dip below $200 million come Monday, Disney spent the weekend revising its forecasts upward as business kept growing.

“There aren't even words, to be honest. I'm running low on double takes. Every time we looked at a number, it just got bigger than what we could have hoped for in the best-case assumption,” said Dave Hollis, Disney's head of distribution. “With this film, this weekend, anything is possible.”

“The Avengers” started with solid midnight crowds Friday, though nowhere near a record. Then it did $80.5 million for the full day Friday, second only to the “Harry Potter” finale's $91.1 million first day.

Revenues held up much better than expected with $69.7 million Saturday, and Disney estimated that the film would bring in $50.1 million more on Sunday.

The record weekend was the culmination of years of careful planning by Marvel Studios, which has included teasers for an “Avengers” dream team collaboration in its solo superhero adventures.

Directed by Joss Whedon (“Buffy the Vampire Slayer”), “The Avengers” features Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man, Chris Evans as Captain America, Chris Hemsworth as Thor, Mark Ruffalo as the Hulk, Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow, Jeremy Renner as Hawkeye and Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury.

A $200 million total for every movie in release is considered a great weekend for the business as a whole, so “The Avengers” redefines the standards for a blockbuster debut.

“If `The Avengers' is any indication, we're going to see a leap rather than a gentle little nudge into new territory, and the lineup is there to justify it going forward,” said Greg Foster, chairman and president of the huge-screen IMAX cinema chain.

 

<관련 한글 기사>


‘히어로 총출동’ 어벤져스, 신기록 행진!


‘아이언맨’, ‘토르’, 캡틴 아메리카’, 등 마블 만화 속 주인공들이 총출동하는 액션 영화 ‘어벤져스’가 미국에서만 무려 2억 3십만달러 (한화 2281억원)에 달하는 오프닝 수익을 기록하며 신기록을 세웠다.

이는 종전 기록인 ‘해리포터와 죽음의 성물 2부’가 기록한 1억 6천9백2십만 달러를 훌쩍 뛰어넘는 기록이다.

어벤져스는 이번 주말에만 미국 외 지역에서 1억 5천만 달러 이상을 벌어들이며 10여일만에 무려 6억4천18만 달러에 달하는 전세계 누적수익을 기록했는데, 이는 마블 사가 기존에 제작한 ‘아이언맨’, ‘아이언맨2’, ‘토르’, ‘캡틴 아메리카’가 벌어들인 총수익보다도 많은 액수다.

만약 7일(현지시간) 발표되는 이번 주일 수익에 6일 수익까지 포함된다면 어벤져스는 사상 최초로 주말 수익이 2억 달러가 넘은 작품으로 남게된다.

배포를 담당하고 있는 디즈니 사의 데이브 홀리스는 어벤져스의 상상을 초월하는 성공을 “묘사할 단어조차 없다”며 회사 입장에서 가장 최상의 경우라고 가정한 것보다 더 큰 성공을 거두고 있다고 설명했다.

미국 내에서 수십년간 폭발적인 인기를 누린 만화 제작사로도 유명한 마블 엔터테인먼트가 몇년전부터 구상한 어벤져스는 “뱀파이어 사냥꾼 버피(Buffy the vampire slayer)”으로 유명한 조스 웰던 감독이 연출했다.

이 작품에는 로버트 다우니 주니어, 크리스 에번스, 크리스 헴스워스, 마크 러팔로, 스칼렛 요한슨, 제레미 레너, 사뮤엘 잭슨 등이 특수한 능력을 가진 ‘영웅’을 연기하며, 이들은 지구를 정복하려는 사악한 ‘로키’의 음모에 맞서 싸운다.