MUMBAI: Disney and Marvel Studios‘ Avengers became the fourth film of all time with an intake of $1.18 billion while Universal and Hasbro Entertainment‘s Battleship lost steam midway grossing $25.3 million.
Battleship‘s international gross of $226.8 million provided some cushion, but it needed a strong domestic performance to end up in the black. There‘s already speculation that Battleship will follow the same course as Disney‘s John Carter that debuted at $30.2 million in March and topped out at $71.8 million domestically. Overseas, the Disney film earned $200.6 million. The results finally showed a $200 million write-down for Disney.
The continuing strength of Disney and Marvel Studios‘ The Avengers has undoubtedly made life difficult for Battleship and Warner Bros.‘ Dark Shadows that opened last weekend.
The alien-invasion actioner -- based on the classic board game not well known by younger generations -- played notably older Friday, with 66 per cent of the audience over the age of 25. Battleship ended up competing with Sacha Baron Cohen‘s new R-rated comedy for males, who made up 57 per cent of Battleship‘s audience.
