UPDATED: $80.5 Million Friday Means 'The Avengers' Will Set Opening-Weekend Record
Saturday Update: With $80.5 million in the bank on Friday, The Avengers is poised to top the $169.2 million opening weekend record set by Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 last July. We are projecting $185 million by the end of the weekend.
Friday Update: Disney reports that The Avengers made $18.7 million from midnight shows—giving it the 8th best midnight debut of all time. That compares favorably to the $7.5 million midnight gross that Iron Man 2 managed in 2010. Iron Man 2 went on to gross $128 million during its debut frame. Avengers' midnight haul also tops the $18.5 million debut of The Dark Knight in 2008.
It was amazing in IMAX. The 3D was kinda useless though. I'm going to watch it in the regular version again. I LOVED it. I stayed after the short credits. It never stayed after the long black and white credits because I didn't know they had both. I'm ready for Avengers 2.
The tentpole, which unites key Marvel superhero characters, has already $334.3 million internationally -- eclipsing the total lifetime grosses for Iron Man ($267 million), Thor ($268 million), Captain America: The First Avenger ($192 million) and Iron Man 2 ($311.5 million)
. At nowhere in the movie did you feel he was a direct threat to any of them
I'm seeing it tonight. 
