"The Avengers," Skipping US in New Trend, Makes $178 Mil Abroad
Disney was not going to have another “John Carter” debacle on its hands, that’s for sure. They released their Marvel blockbuster, “The Avengers,” in 13 countries over the weekend. The audiences didn’t all speak English, and that may have been a good thing. The studio raked in over $178 million. By the time “The Avengers” opens here on Friday, May 4th, the studio will be in the clear. And they’ll still have another dozen countries to go to, like Russia, which is turning into a go-to audience for misunderstood films. But hey, “The Avengers” may be good. It has a 97% rating so far on Rottentomatoes.com.
And this: "Battleship" Avoids U.S. Release and Makes $170 Mil Around the World
“Battleship,” Universal Pictures’ big summer entertainment, cost over $200 million to make. You know it’s cheesy and not very good, so why subject the studio to American reviews? Very wisely, Universal has been opening “Battleship” around the world in advance of its May 18th U.S. landing. And the result: already $129 million in the bank. And more to come.
