After posting the second-highest debut in box office history, it should come as no surprise that Avengers: Age of Ultron remained in first place over its sophomore frame. That outcome was never in doubt. In fact, if another film did manage to unseat the Avengers after one week one would have to conclude that something had gone desperately awry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

According to Disney/Marvel estimates, Ultron earned another $77.2 million this weekend and brought its domestic total up to $312.5 million. Only two other films in history have made it above $300 million in ten days or less: The Dark Knight and (naturally) Marvel’s The Avengers. At this point Age of Ultron is running 16% behind its predecessor, but 10% ahead of Iron Man 3 after ten days in theatres.  Assuming this pattern continues to hold, Ultron should wind up grossing at least $500 million in North America alone.

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Of course, it’s on the international market where Ultron is expected to do the most damage. Over its first three weekends overseas, the sequel has earned a reported $562.4 million. That total doesn't include the world’s second-biggest movie market, China, which will get its first look at Ultron on May 12th. At this point, the worldwide total for Age of Ultron stands at $874.9 million. Marvel’s The Avengers still ranks as the third-highest global release of all time with over $1.5 billion, though it is worth noting that Furious 7 is now only $52 million away from surpassing the superheroes.

This weekend’s sole new wide release was Hot Pursuit. The comedy starring Reese Witherspoon and Sophia Vergara was never a serious threat to Age of Ultron’s dominance, though most box office watchers believed the film would at least serve as a legitimate counterprogramming option for audiences seeking to avoid Marvel. But as it turned out, audiences were more interested in avoiding Hot Pursuit.

Hot Pursuit wound up opening with an estimated $13.3 million from 3,003 locations. One week ago, Hot Pursuit was expected to open with at least $20 million. But one week ago very few people had actually seen the film. As we told you yesterday, the reviews for Hot Pursuit have been bad… Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2 bad.

Looking to next weekend, Age of Ultron’s winning streak may be at an end. Two new releases are set to hit theatres and both are expected to open to $38 million or higher. Unless Ultron can manage a significantly better hold than the -60% of its sophomore frame, it is likely to be pushed out of the top spot by Pitch Perfect 2. The original Pitch Perfect was a sleeper hit in the fall of 2012 but has gained a significant following since then, which explains Universal’s confidence in moving the sequel to a summer release date.


We’ll have details on Pitch Perfect 2 and its fellow newcomer, Mad Max: Fury Road, next weekend. Until then, here’s this weekend’s top ten:

 Title

Weekend

Total

1.

 Avengers: Age of Ultron

$77,203,000

$312.5

2.

 Hot Pursuit

$13,300,000

$13.3

3.

 The Age of Adaline

$5,600,000

$31.5

4.

 Furious 7

$5,272,000

$338.4

5.

 Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2

$5,190,000

$58

6.

 Ex Machina

$3,470,000

$15.7

7.

 Home

$3,000,000

$162.1

8.

 Woman in Gold

$1,692,000

$26.9

9.

 Cinderella

$1,574,000

$196.1

10.

 Unfriended

$1,412,000

$30.9

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