Avengers: Age of Ultron may not be releasing in the US until this coming Friday, May 1st, but the movie arrived last week in foreign territories and has been an absolutely smashing success in those overseas markets.
Entering the week, Disney expected somewhere between $160 and $175 million but the final total exceeded even their highest estimates by a large margin. Combining the totals from 44 territories this past weekend, Avengers: Age of Ultron managed to haul in $201.2 million according to Variety, leading the way in all territories in which it debuted. Disney distribution chief Dave Hollis weighed in on this massive slam dunk of an opening for the company.
“The bar was high, but this is a sign of unbelievable momentum in the marketplace. It all goes back to the strength of the brand and the incredible work the Marvel team does in telling stories in such a consistent way and creating these worlds.”
This total seems really impressive at this point, but the numbers coming from the US next weekend should be even more insane. Many expect the movie to surpass the first Avengers to take the highest opening weekend record of all time. That record stands at $204.7 million and based on the international numbers, it is looking very likely at this point. Many estimates are seeing an opening weekend at as high as $220 million, but we’ll have to see how Avengers: Age of Ultron really does upon its debut this coming weekend in the US.
