CANNES — Disney and Marvel Studios’ The Avengers became the sixth-biggest film of all time Thursday as it upped its worldwide cume to $1.07 billion, surpassing the $1.066 billion earned by fellow Disney title Pirates of the Caribbean: Dean Man’s Chest in 2006.
Meanwhile, the superhero tentpole smashed another record in North America, where it crossed $400 million in only 14 days, besting the 19 days it took The Dark Knight to reach the same mark. It’s also Disney’s biggest release ever.
Avengers continues to crush everything in its wake: Universal and Hasbro Entertainment’s event pic Battleship opened to a tepid $420,000 in midnight domestic runs Thursday, while Sacha Baron Cohen’s The Dictator grossed $2.8 million on Thursday for a two-day cume of $7 million. Everyone will be watching to see whether the R-rated Paramount comedy can hit $20 million or be bested by Lionsgate’s new comedy What to Expect When You’re Expecting.
Battleship is projected to earn $35 million to $40 million in its debut, while Avengers could earn as much as $60 million.
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Avengers has now earned $402 million domestically and $668.7 million internationally. It should earn another $120 million this weekend to become the No. 4 title of all time globally, passing 2003’s The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King and last year’s Transformers: Dark of the Moon.
As of Thursday, Avengers ranked as the ninth-biggest release in history internationally and No. 12 domestically.
