Move over boy wizard, the ‘Captain’ has taken charge at the box-office. Marvel’s “Captain America: The First Avenger” opened to both the top spot and an estimated $ 65.8 million over the weekend. That number puts it $ 100,000 ahead of the $ 65.7 million opening of “Thor”, however the final figure later this morning will likely shift that number so don’t count your chickens just yet.
It’s a bumper opening for the film which has scored both good reviews overall, buoyed by some absolute raves by some usually pretty harsh critics. Domestically “Thor” sits atop the superhero throne this Summer with $ 163 million, a number most expect ‘Captain’ to beat.
Internationally however is where the film will face a potentially chillier reception and its being rolled out in foreign markets slowly starting next week which means we won’t get a good idea of its overseas success until well into the Fall.
“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part Two” meanwhile jumped off a cliff, the final potter escapade plummeted 72% from its massive record-breaking $ 169.2 million domestic opening weekend down to $ 48.1 million in its second time out.
Despite the front-loading it matters little – the film is already likely to become the biggest earner in the series by next weekend, it’s already the #2 earning film domestically this year after just ten days, and internationally it stands at $ 834.6 million so far – meaning it’s certain to crack the $ 1 billion dollar mark globally.
The other newcomer this week was the Justin Timberlake and Mila Kunis rom-com “Friends with Benefits” which came in third with a solid $ 18.5 million, just one million shy of the film it’s most often being compared to – “No Strings Attached”. ‘Friends’ scored better reviews but not at the same level as director Will Gluck’s acclaimed last film “Easy A”.
“Transformers: Dark of the Moon” now sits atop the domestic box-office and is the first title of the year to cross the $ 300 million mark. It’s looking unlikely to cross $ 400 million and beat ‘Revenge of the Fallen’, but it will probably come damn close. Most others fell along expected lines.
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