Marvel’s The Avengers continues to tear up the record books. The studio is projecting the second weekend will come in at $103.2 million (now almost exactly hitting the $104 million in our ShowBuzzDaily Weekend Predictions) and leaving the old second-weekend record in the dust ($75.6 million for Avatar in December 2009). Avengers now also holds the record for largest ten-day gross (see table below). We have revised our estimate for Final Domestic Gross again, and will update the international picture for The Avengers and all other films in release later today.
The box office volume for the top 12 films is now looking like $161 million for the weekend, up 25% from last year’s weekend and from the weekend’s average for the past four years.
The ShowbuzzDaily Domestic Final estimates for films opening wide this weekend: Dark Shadows ($78 million).
Second week films: Marvel’s The Avengers ($610 million, adjusted up sharply from last week’s initial estimate).
Third week films: The Pirates! Band of Misfits ($31 million, adjusted down slightly from last week’s estimate), The Five-Year Engagement ($31 million, even with last week), Safe ($16 million, steady versus last week) and The Raven ($14 million, steady versus last week).
Fourth week films: Think Like a Man ($96 million, even with last week’s estimate), The Lucky One ($60 million, adjusted up slightly) and Chimpanzee ($29 million, steady versus last week).
| May 11-13 | ($ millions) | ||||
| vs Last Wknd | Wknd Studio Proj. | Showbuzz Domestic Final | |||
| Marvel’s The Avengers | Dis | -50% | 103.2 | 610 | |
| Dark Shadows | WB | 28.5 | 78 | ||
| Think Like a Man | LG | -22% | 6.3 | 96 | |
| The Hunger Games | LG | -21% | 4.4 | 405 | |
| The Lucky One | WB | -24% | 4.1 | 60 | |
| Pirates! Band of Misfits | Sony | -42% | 3.2 | 31 | |
| Five-Year Engagement | Uni | -38% | 3.1 | 31 | |
| Best Exotic Marigold Hotel | Fox | +260% | 2.6 | n/a | |
| Safe | LG | -52% | 1.3 | 16 | |
| The Raven | Rel | -51% | 1.3 | 14 | |
| Chimpanzee | Dis | -35% | 1.6 | 29 | |
| The Three Stooges | Fox | -45% | 1.0 | 43 | |
The Avengers has grossed an estimated $373.2 million through today, beating the old record (The Dark Knight) by $60 million.
| ALL-TIME GROSS: FIRST 10 DAYS | ($ millions) | ||
| First 10 Days | Final Domestic Gross | ||
| Marvel’s The Avengers | 373.2 | 610 (est.) | |
| The Dark Knight | 313.8 | 533.3 | |
| Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 | 273.5 | 381.1 | |
| Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen | 269.0 | 402.1 | |
| Pirates Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest | 258.4 | 423.3 | |
| The Hunger Games | 248.4 | 405 (est.) | |
| Spider-Man 3 | 240.2 | 336.5 | |
Total Box Office Volume
The Top 12 Films this weekend are looking like $161 million total Friday-Sunday, now up 25% from both the same calendar weekend last year and the average for this weekend the past four years.
| WEEKEND #19 | Weekend Volume: Top 12 Films | Top Movies Opening Each Weekend | |
| 2012 | $161 | Dark Shadows $29 | |
| 2011 | $129 | Bridesmaids $26, Priest $15 | |
| 2010 | $131 | Robin Hood $36, Letters to Juliet $13, Just Wright $8 | |
| 2009 | $131 | Angels & Demons $46 | |
| 2008 | $126 | Chronicles of Narnia $55 | |
| Avg 2008-11 | $129 |
Next Weekend
Opening wide next weekend are Battleship from Universal (starring Taylor Kitsch and Rihanna), The Dictator from Paramount (opening Wednesday and starring Sacha Baron Cohen) and What to Expect When You’re Expecting from Lionsgate (romantic comedy starring Cameron Diaz and Jennifer Lopez). These films will be compared to the following opener from the same weekend last year: Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides ($90.2 million opening weekend).
Again, check back later today for our update on international grosses.
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