Women and 3D help 'The Avengers' set box office record (+video)
Women bought 40 percent of all tickets to 'The Avengers.' The action movie beat 'Harry Potter' in setting a first weekend box office record with $200 million in ticket sales.
Los Angeles
"The Avengers" proved that five superheroes are better than one by bursting into Hollywood's record books with a massive $200.3 million in ticket sales over its opening weekend in US. and Canadian theaters, kicking off Hollywood's summer movie season with a bang.
The domestic debut for the big-budget, effects-filled movie from Disney's Marvel studios sped past last summer's "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows - Part 2," which opened with $169.2 million in its first weekend, according to Box Office Mojo. In March, "The Hunger Games" opened with $152.5 million, the fourth largest opening in box office history.
The North American record was foreshadowed by the strong box office a week ago, after it opened overseas in 39 countries and took in $185.1 million.
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The Avengers, which reunites Marvel comic heroes Thor, Iron Man, Captain America, the Hulk and Black Widow, has collected $641.8 million since it opened in international markets on April 25.
