Though it's still trailing a little bit behind Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 on its way to setting any all-time records, The Avengers had a phenomenal Friday at the North American box office, bringing in $80.5 million, including $18.7 million from midnights. Though that number isn't quite meeting Harry Potter's $91 million single-day record, Deadline reports that might not matter: Disney is now estimating The Avengers to make $175 million domestically this weekend, which would make it the best opening weekend of all time.
The Avengers has been open overseas in many countries for several weeks, but it's still doing great over there too-- international grosses stand at $334 million right now, and the worldwide total will probably be $575 million by this Sunday. And one last thing to brag about: The Avengers has a sterling A+ CinemaScore, maybe not that surprising given the rave reviews that have been coming in from nearly everywhere, but still a rarity in a world when good movies and blockbusters don't often intertwine.
If you've been looking forward all year to one of the summer's other blockbuster offerings, be warned: they'll now be held to the standard of The Avengers. It seems silly to even ask you guys if you're seeing The Avengers this weekend, since it seems like everyone in the universe is, but chime in with a comment about what your moviegoing experience is like-- and if you think, just in the beginning of May, we really have already seen the best superhero movie of the summer.
