It’s being reported by Walt Disney Pictures that the Marvel Studios summer kick-off film Marvel’s The Avengers has grossed an estimated $18.7 million in midnight screenings in roughly 2,500 theaters playing the movie in 2D and Digital 3D. The figure includes $1.3 million from 273 IMAX 3D locations.
This is slightly lower than Lionsgate’s The Hunger Games‘ recent midnight take of $19.7 million, but slightly higher than The Dark Knight‘s $18.5 million in midnights, allowing it to set a new record for midnights for a superhero movie, although it also has higher ticket prices due to four years of inflation and higher ticket prices for 3D.
For comparison, The Hunger Games ended up grossing $152.5 in its first weekend, while The Dark Knight did $158.4 million, setting a new opening record until Harry Potter and the Death Hallows – Part 1 opened last summer. it seems likely that The Avengers will end up somewhere between them in the $155 million range although the weekend has barely begun and it’s hard to tell.
Internationally, the movie has already reached $304 million and will pass up Iron Man 2‘s $311.5 million today to become the biggest international release for Marvel Studios so far.
