Avengers: Age of Ultron kicked off what will undoubtedly be a gargantuan run with an already massive $202.2 million opening in Europe and Asia. This sum came from a total of 44 markets. And remarkably does not include the world’s two box office heavyweights, the U.S. and China, from where even more impressive figures are expected when the film opens on the 1st and 12th of May, respectively. Highlights of this Marvel sequel’s performance came from Korea, where it made $28.2 million and notched the biggest opening of all time for an American film, the UK which netted $27.3, Russia with $16.2 and another top Hollywood opening accolade, and Brazil, where it recorded the second biggest opening of all time, with $13.1 million. Other landmarks in Asia include record debuts of $7.7 million in the Philippines and $6.4 million in Hong Kong, while it also picked up a hefty $12.4 million in France and $9.3 million in Germany. In Italy Ultron was good for $8.5 million, a fair result although this sum leaves it as the only territory to have had a smaller opening than the original Avengers. By reteaming Iron Man, Cap, Black Widow, Thor, Hulk, Nick Fury and Hawkeye this juggernaut of a sequel to date has gathered 44% more than its precursor did in the same territories in 2012. If this ratio holds in the next few weeks, Age of Ultron may reach a lifetime cumulative of $2.185 billion (yes, billion with a B), which would put it just a hair behind James Cameron’s Titanic and Avatar as the third best selling film in history.
Age of Ultron will give a better indication of whether it can reach these heights when it opens next In Mexico, Turkey, much of Eastern Europe and Latin America, and of course the U.S. and Canada.
Next weekend’s upcoming storm will surely push it down the totem pole but for now Furious 7 is riding out its fourth straight number one weekend with $18.56 million in domestic theatres. Its total North American earnings are now $320.6 million. As things stand, it is the second highest grossing film of 2015, with American Sniper’s $348 million benchmark now well within its sights. Overseas Furious kept up its frantic pace as it zoomed past $1 billion international with a $69 million frame. In doing so it joined the illustrious company of Cameron’s Avatar and Titanic as only the third picture in history to have earned ten figures overseas and now stands as the fifth biggest blockbuster in history. In China, where it already held the record for the largest single day earnings ever, Furious 7 reached $323 million, making this the biggest earner of all time in the Middle Kingdom. It currently sits at $1.32 billion cumulative, and is Universal’s most successful picture to date and the fifth biggest film in history. Third place domestically went to fellow holdover Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2. It picked up $15.5 million from 3,633 theatres, and reached a domestic total of $43.9 million. With a cumulative take of $61.7 million, this comedy has made a satisfactory return on its $30 million production budget. Home added another $8.3 million, for a total domestic of $153 million, Ex Machina expanded to over 1,200 theaters and added a solid $5.5 million.
With Age of Ultron on the way, most studios opted to hold off on adding anything new to the domestic market, although a few films did open in the hopes of gaining some word of mouth recognition. Lionsgate’s The Age of Adaline, starring Blake Lively as a 29-year-old turned immortal by a freak accident, took the plunge and opened in third with $13.37 million. A cast which includes Harrison Ford and Ellen Burstyn, an A- Cinemascore and solid reviews could make this one a strong candidate to pick up the few scraps that will be left on the market in the coming weeks before the U.S. also gets caught up in superhero frenzy. Little Boy, a faith-based film starring Kevin James, Emily Watson and Tom Wilkinson, earned $2.83 million. Then there is The Water Diviner, a period piece drama about an Australian man looking for the sons he lost in the battle of Gallipoli. That man is Russell Crowe, who also directed the picture which has already produced $25 million overseas and generated $1.25 million in the U.S.
Lorenzo Soria