As expected, earth's mightiest heroes had a massive debut. However, it couldn't topple the opening weekend record that the first Avengers movie still holds ($207.4 million). Instead, the buzzed-about sequel managed the second-biggest debut in history, $191.3 million, off 8.5% from the first movie. That translated to a per-venue average of a still-spectacular $44,731, the third-biggest ever for a movie behind its predecessor and the Hannah Montana concert. Marvel now owns the 3 biggest openers of all-time with both Avengers movies and Iron Man 3 ($174 million). While many expected this (including me) to edge out the first movie's opening, it really was an unfair assumption. The first Avengers was truly an event movie that had the first-ever superhero team-up on the big screen. The second time around, it just didn't seem quite as big of a must-see event, despite the buzz and ticket sales outpacing the first movie. Though I should also note that social media activity and the amount of online ticket transactions have increased in the last 3 years also.Age of Ultron was also done no favors by a lot of sports-related attention-stealers on Saturday. The Manny Pacquio and Floyd Mayweather fight brought in record-smashing ratings for wrestling, while Game 7 of the NBA playoffs and the Kentucky Derby also kept some audiences at home. As a result, Saturday dropped 32% from Friday's $84.5 million gross, whereas the first Avengers dropped just 14% Friday-to-Saturday and Iron Man 3 was off just 10%. And with just a 20% decline projected by Disney, the actual might turn out a little lower than estimated.
Regardless, this is a spectacular debut no matter what. The drop-off was far less than usual for most sequels of the past 5 years. 3D showings had one of their best percentages in a long time as Ultron pulled in a 44% share from extra-dimensional showings. IMAX pulled in a record $18 million, or 10% of the gross. Overseas grosses are spectacular, so far, if not slightly off from the first movie so far ($631 million worldwide in 10 days vs. $641 million by the first movie's 10th day). But, given how much China has expanded and grown in the entertainment industry in the last few years, its likely that gap will close.
As for North America, the chances aren't nearly as strong for making up ground. Reviews were good, but not quite as good as the first film (75% on Rotten Tomatoes vs. 93%). That being said, the CinemaScore was a very good "A", in comparison to the first movie's rare "A+". Next weekend brings no competition (Hot Pursuit is only expected to reach $20 million), though Mad Max: Fury Road, fellow Disney movie Tomorrowland and also San Andreas will steal some moviegoers in later weeks.
If Avengers 2 were to play out like Iron Man 3, it would fall short of $450 million stateside and match the final gross of The Dark Knight Rises. If it were to replicate the 3.0 multiplier of the first movie, it would wind up over $550 million. At this moment, considering the solid buzz and word-of-mouth its been receiving, I'd look for a final gross somewhere in-between those two trajectories (just over or under $500 million).
Again, overseas has been strong, with $168 million earned this weekend from 90% of the international marketplace. China and Japan have yet to open.
Age of Ultron took up 85% of overall business. With $232.5 million grossed as a whole, the whole weekend ended up as the 9th-biggest on record, and the highest-grossing weekend in almost 2 years.
Nothing else generated a lot of noise. After four weeks on top, Furious 7 surrendered the box office throne and plummeted 63% to $6.6 million. However, Universal isn't anywhere close to alarmed with this drop, as the seventh installment of the blockbuster franchise has earned a massive $331.1 million in one month of release, way higher than anyone expected. Overseas, the film continued to thrive, pulling in another $53 million. China has amassed $380 million to date in four weeks, while the worldwide gross has gone up to $1.43 billion. At this rate, Furious 7 seems likely to pass the first Avengers to take third place on the all-time chart behind James Cameron's dynamic duo of Avatar and Titanic.
Holding onto third place after its decent debut, The Age of Adaline was off 53% to $6.2 million, one of the lighter declines of the list. In 10 days, the Blake Lively flick has earned a modest $23.4 million, and is set to close around $35 million. Not bad, but not great either. Adaline should recover next weekend with Mother's Day being next Sunday.
Age of Ultron also attracted family audiences, which spelled trouble for Paul Blart - Mall Cop 2. The Kevin James sequel plummeted 60% to $5.9 million, for a decent $51.5 million gross in 17 days. Meanwhile, DreamWorks Animation's Home spent a sixth-straight weekend in the Top 5, but nonetheless fell 57% to $3.5 million. The animated hit is at a solid $158.3 million in 37 days and should stabilize strongly in the next couple weeks on its way to a finish in the $170-175 million range.
Thanks to double-feature showings with Avengers, Disney's Cinderella remake returned to the Top 10 in its eighth weekend, off just 1% from last weekend to $2.7 million. With $194 million in 56 days, there's still a chance the fairy tale closes above $200 million, Despite strong reviews, Ex Machina was off 57% to $2.3 million, for a decent $10.9 million pick-up in 24 days. Machina should be able to recover next weekend.
Unfriended was down another 64% in its third frame to $2.2 million, for an OK $28.8 million in 17 days. Good, but not fantastic given the strong buzz it received early in its marketing. The Longest Ride fell 60% to $1.7 million, as the Nicholas Sparks adaptation has earned a quiet $33.2 million in 24 days. Rounding out the Top 10 in its fifth weekend is Woman in Gold, which fell 52% to $1.6 million. The Helen Mirren war drama is at a solid $24.5 million in one month of release.
That's it. Next weekend brings Sofia Vergara and Reese Witherspoon in Hot Pursuit. How will they fare against Black Widow and Scarlet Witch of the Avengers? We shall soon find out.
