The Avengers

Still more countries are reporting grosses, and the superhero super-blockbuster opened #1 in every foreign market. It doesn’t come out in the U.S. until May 4th but already it’s scooping up 60+% of all pre-sold movie tickets online and more than all the previous Marvel films combined. Overseas, Disney is reporting $178.4M box office in the film’s first 5 days of release in 39 territories. Marvel‘s The Avengers from Disney now is playing in approximately 70% of its foreign run. Latin and South America dominated with the highest opening weekend of all time in major markets like Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Central America, Peru, and Boliva. As well as the Asian makets which had the highest opening weekends in Hong King, Taiwan, Malaysia, Philippines. Big ticket nations like Russia, China and Japan are still to open, and upcoming May Day is a huge holiday. The pic is already grossing ahead of Alice In Wonderland, Pirates Of the Caribbean 4, Iron Man 2, and The Dark Knight. The Avengers scoored the biggest opening days in New Zealand, Taiwan, Iceland and Malaysia. Cumes for key territories include: UK $24.7M, Australia $19.7M, Mexico $15.9M, Korea $12.9M, France $12.7M, Brazil $11.3M, Italy $10.4M, Taiwan $7.7M, Spain $7.3M, Germany $6.7M, Philippines $6.5M, and Hong Kong $4.6M.

SATURDAY: Performance to date in key territories include: Australia $11.1M, UK $9.4M, France $6.8M, Italy $5.8M, Mexico $4.7M, Korea $4.5M, Taiwan $3.6M, Germany $3.4M, Philippines $3.4M, Brazil $2.8M, Hong Kong $1.8M, and Spain $1.7M. Throughout the smaller Latin American territories opening Thursday, the Friday opening was the best ever Disney and Marvel opening day. Mexico represented the second highest opening day of all time. Brazil was the third highest opening day of all time. In the UK, the 2 days to date have exceeded the opening weekends of previous Marvel films Thor, Iron Man, and Captain America. Taiwan was the second highest Friday of all time. Hong Kong was the highest non-holiday Friday result of all time. India opened on Friday to the third biggest opening day for all Hollywood titles ever and highest ever for a Disney and Marvel opening day. Malaysia opened Friday to the #1 biggest opening day of all-time. Vietnam opened Friday to the 2nd biggest opening day of all time. And Iceland opened Friday to the #1 biggest opening day of all-time.

FRIDAY AM, 4TH UPDATE: My sources say Marvel’s The Avengers posted an estimated $36.0M in its first two days of overseas release from 25 territories. This represents approximately 45% of its international run. Performance to date in key territories: Australia $8.2M, France $4.9M, Italy $4.6M, UK $4.1M, Taiwan $2.4M, Philippines $2.4M, Korea $2.3M, Germany $1.4M, New Zealand $1.1M. The UK opening was the third biggest Thursday opening ever. In Germany it opened #1 in the market and is the biggest opening day of 2012. Korea’s opening represents the 3rd biggest non-local title opening of all time. Hong Kong’s opening is the 4th biggest debut day of all time and the biggest non-holiday opening of all time. Argentina was the third highest opening day of all time. Denmark opened Thursday to the 2nd highest Marvel opening day ever and biggest opening day of 2012. South Africa opened Thursday to the 2nd biggest Thursday opening day of all-time (only behind Twilight 3). Austria opened Thursday to the biggest opening day of 2012. Hungary opened Thursday to the biggest Marvel opening day ever. Chile opened Thursday to the 5th highest opening day of all-time and the biggest Disney and Marvel day ever. Peru opened Thursday to the 3rd highest opening day of all-time and the biggest Disney and Marvel day ever.

THURSDAY AM, 3RD UPDATE: My sources say Marvel’s The Avengers has made a total $17.1M overseas already. And the hotly anticipated actioner is already shattering box office records overseas. It earned in U.S. dollar estimates $17.1M from 10 countries: including $6.2M in Australia, $2.7M in Italy, $2.9 in France, $1.3M in the Philippines, $1.3M in Taiwan, $800K in New Zealand, and $900K others. MovieTickets.com reports the superhero actioner in the United States ”is pre-selling more tickets for the upcoming release than the online ticketing company sold for Captain America, Thor, Iron Man 2, and Iron Man combined at the same point in the sales cycle for each film. In fact, pre-sales are over 1 1/2-times that of these past Marvel films combined sales at the same point in the sales cycle”. MovieTickets.com reports that 56% of Avengers pre-sales are from fans wanting to see the film in 3D. And nearly 37% are from moviegoers buying tickets to see the film in IMAX 3D.

Internationally, two nations, Australia and New Zealand, having were holidays: ANZAC Day, so that helped boost box office. Australia’s opening day is the second-highest opening of all time there behind only the final Harry Potter (A$7M). It is also the highest Marvel opening day ever, 214% ahead of Iron Man 2 (A$1.8M Thursday opening) and 136% ahead of The Dark Knight (A$2.5M Thursday opening), and the highest Disney opening day ever for a Disney film. The pic playing in Taiwan is the biggest industry Wednesday opening ever, the biggest opening day of 2012 (173% above Battleship) and the second-biggest opening day for any Marvel film (after only Spider-Man 3). In New Zealand, pic scored highest grossing opening day ever, beating Harrry Potter finale (NZ$975L). The pic isnt even pen yet in China, Russia, or japan. The Avengers is the first Marvel film to be marketed and distributed by Disney, so this is great news for the studio.

The pic has been tracking incredibly high because so many well-known characters are coming together for the first time in this PG-13 film directed by Joss Whedon in Digital 3D, RealD & IMAX 3D. So the movie’s North American opening on May 4th timed to the official summer season start will be an event. As a result, not only will this type of action film normally skew young and older male, but the tracking is looking strong as a three- and possibly four-quadrant movie, too. Right now Disney and theatre owners are adding screens every day for the U.S./Canada release whose online pre-sales of tickets were selling out weeks in advance. Midnight show business is expected to be phenomenal. Exactly how much the studio can gross for the first weekend depends on how many screenings each theater can pack into 72 hours by finding enough staff willing to work the extra hours and keep the pic running continuously.