Avengers: Age of Ultron has rocketed past the $600 million mark worldwide (details here), but the fact that it opened slightly lower than the first movie in North America this weekend means it's a flop, right? Wrong. Even with a budget of $280 million, the sequel has already made a lot of money, and Marvel Studios' success shows no sign of slowing down. So, who went to see the movie? Well, 59% of the audience domestically were male, and 59% of those who gave it a watch were 26+. It also received an A CinemaScore. The Avengers received A+. That doesn't tell us a lot, but might be useful information next time someone dismisses the superhero genre as being for kids.
Currently 10% behind The Avengers in terms of earnings in North America, Avengers: Age of Ultron still took an amazing 82% of the overall box office this weekend. Box office analysts believe that it may end up finishing 25 - 30% lower domestically than its predecessor, but the US really isn't all that important these days, at least not as much as it once was anyway. It's thought that Avengers: Age of Ultron will shoot past the $1 billion mark overseas, and it currently seems likely that it WILL reach the same number (around $1.5 billion) as The Avengers. It's going to be big, and even if the sequel doesn't end up topping what's come before, no way will Marvel be unhappy with this result.
As of right now, Disney, Marvel, and Robert Downey Jr. all have the three highest US opening weekends of all-time. Those are The Avengers ($207.4 million), Avengers: Age of Ultron ($187.7 million), and Iron Man 3 ($174.1 million). Many thanks to Exhibitor Relations and Gitesh Pandya for these figures. How many times did you guys decide to watch the sequel over the weekend?
