"The Avengers Opens to a Full House, Midnight Box Office Ranks Second in History!"
Early Friday morning, major entertainment media outlets, having received the relevant statistics, almost all featured similar headlines on their front pages.
"At the stroke of midnight, Duke Rosenberg's meticulously crafted epic The Avengers officially hit North American theaters, raking in $33.8 million during the midnight showings, surpassing The Dark Knight to become the new record-holder for both superhero films and Duke Rosenberg's own midnight box office records."
"Although this figure is still quite a bit lower than last year's Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, which earned a terrifying $43.5 million in midnight screenings, Marvel's heroes have proven that assembling a team to fight monsters is undeniably appealing. Especially with The Avengers' excellent word-of-mouth and the huge enthusiasm from fans, box office analysts are optimistic about its subsequent market performance…"
Just as the media reported, the North American movie market, dominated by teenagers, erupted with an almost terrifying enthusiasm on Friday.
In Los Angeles, the three chain theaters located in Santa Monica Mall saw dozens of customers arriving right at opening time in the morning, and within fifteen minutes, the number of people in each theater had quintupled.
By noon, the AMG, Empire Entertainment, and Artists chain theaters in the mall were already bustling, with every corner of the lobbies packed. Each theater had to allocate staff to maintain order while busy selling tickets and screening films, as many people who couldn't get tickets were complaining loudly.
There was no solution—these three theaters had screened The Avengers on nearly every available screen, but being in such prime locations, tickets were simply not enough.
"I don't care how you report to the distributor!"
In an office at Empire Theaters, the manager shouted at the scheduling supervisor, "Apart from keeping 15% of the schedule for The Hunger Games and rotating one theater for other films, I want all available screens showing The Avengers!"
The Avengers fever naturally arrived. In New York's Times Square, long lines had already formed, and people were waiting for only one reason: to watch The Avengers!
This spectacular scene immediately drew media attention. CNN and NBC broadcast trucks and reporters had already arrived, continuously interviewing fans in line.
One fan displayed his Captain America shield backpack to the camera. "I'm a supporter of Captain America!"
Many fans being interviewed shouted the names of their favorite heroes at the camera.
"I'm an Iron Man fan!"
"My favorites are Thor and Loki!"
"I like Black Widow. I like Scarlett Johansson!"
"I'm not a fan of any superhero. I'm here because I like Duke Rosenberg's films!"
Even though it was Friday, The Avengers ignited a nationwide viewing frenzy. Starting in the afternoon, theaters showing The Avengers were more than 60% full. In high-traffic locations like Santa Monica Mall and Times Square, "full house" could not even describe the crowds of fans.
The fever surrounding The Avengers also matched the expectations of Duke, Warner Bros., and Marvel Studios.
First, the film's promotional preparation was extraordinarily extensive. From Duke directing Iron Man, then Captain America, The Incredible Hulk, Iron Man 2, and Thor, in just a few years, successive Avengers-related films had been released, building tremendous popularity for this collective outing. Each film's post-credits scene directly laid the groundwork for this grand culmination, the snowball growing ever larger. With more business, Duke and Marvel had already pushed the superhero genre into a positive cycle.
Second, it's rare to see so many superheroes together, representing American pop culture. Moviegoers, primarily young audiences, inevitably experience a form of star worship. The proliferation of merchandise in stores and the abundance of related discussions online is clear evidence.
Third, the film's quality is undeniably top-tier. Even before release, pre-marketing built solid word-of-mouth. After viewing, audiences unanimously praised it. Moreover, the film's visuals are stunning, making it worth seeing in theaters. The 3D version further accelerated its box office rise.
Finally, the film's lighthearted and humorous tone gives once lofty heroes a humanized charm. Characters breaking preconceived impressions are easier to like, appealing to audiences of all ages.
Of course, the main reason The Avengers was so well-received is marketing and… it's a light, thrilling popcorn movie!
Even with Duke directing, The Avengers contains no so-called depth or philosophical reflection. It's a story where the ending is clear from the start: villains want to dominate the Earth, heroes unite, after a series of trials they defeat the villains and save the world.
This also reflects Hollywood's usual tricks: flashy fights, dense quips, handsome men and beautiful women, and a promotion of justice and camaraderie.
Unfortunately, this formula succeeded once again.
Although some complained the villains were too weak and the heroes underperformed, The Avengers allowed audiences to scream, laugh, and happily open their wallets in the theater.
This is the key to The Avengers' success—unpretentious, not deep, and the viewing experience can be summed up in one word: exhilarating!
On instant sharing sites, the fastest and most reposted message on Friday came from The Avengers. A very ordinary viewer wrote after seeing the film: "Once The Avengers is out, there are no other movies worth watching this summer!"
This naturally frustrated those with an artsy, highbrow disposition.
However, no matter how much they complained, it couldn't change the fact that The Avengers was bound to succeed and gain unparalleled fame.
Some people always look down on commercial films, believing that any director could make a decent commercial movie as long as the budget is sufficient.
But is that really the case? In Hollywood, almost everyone agrees that the difficulty of producing a major commercial film far exceeds that of an independent movie!
Rome wasn't built in a day, and The Avengers isn't a guaranteed success just by putting a few superheroes together. What appears to be a shallow popcorn movie isn't something anyone can make—it requires constant innovation and refinement.
When audiences tire of solo hero antics, the idea of uniting them arises; after the union succeeds, individual series are tailored for each hero. Only by continuously studying the market can this industry consistently produce high-revenue content, which is the foundation for maintaining the film industry's position and growth!
As the film's release expanded, dissenting voices appeared, even including sarcasm and mockery.
"Movie pacing comes in many forms—visual pacing, emotional pacing. For films, emotional pacing is essential. Visual pacing is secondary. A film with visual pacing but no emotional rhythm is utterly soporific. They fight fiercely, and the audience is like watching a bunch of snot-nosed kids fight over bubblegum—absurd, yet forced to cheer with fake enthusiasm. It's ridiculous."
Movies like this superhero film cannot please everyone, especially those who consider themselves artistically discerning. The film itself isn't made for them.
"No one forced you to buy a ticket for a superhero film. If you want a slow-paced story driven by emotion, go to an art-house theater. Why come to a commercial theater and torture yourself?"
The reply immediately following this comment can be considered the best response to that type of viewer. After all, even a fool knows what Hollywood superhero films are like. Yet some deliberately bring an "artistic" mindset to critique commercial films—these people clearly have a severe masochistic tendency.
Moreover, this is just a tiny fraction of people, far too few to affect The Avengers' overwhelming popularity.
By the window, the sky began to lighten. David Ellison put on his clothes and left the bedroom. Ever since "Vin Diesel Dead in Car Accident," his sleep had been poor. That bald head kept appearing in his dreams, disturbing him so he could not sleep properly, sometimes waking him in nightmares.
Yet David Ellison never regretted it. Although Vin Diesel's posthumous reputation suffered, the accident garnered widespread attention, which was extremely advantageous for Fast & Furious 5.
Stepping onto the spacious balcony, David Ellison looked toward Malibu, never having hoped so much before—for Duke Rosenberg to fail!
Even someone as powerful as Duke Rosenberg would suffer a huge loss if The Avengers failed.
Sitting at the balcony table, the butler delivered coffee and the daily newspaper that David always read.
David Ellison flipped directly to the entertainment section. Yesterday was the full North American release of The Avengers, and the first-day box office should now be available.
"Clack!"
With a crisp sound, the white porcelain cup in David Ellison's hand fell heavily onto the tray of the same material, which shattered immediately. The brown liquid splashed onto the newspaper, and next to the stains was a striking number. This number, combined with the coffee spots, seemed to mock certain people's delusions like Jim Carrey's exaggerated expressions.
"New single-day box office record in North America! The first film in history to surpass $100 million in a single day in North America—The Avengers! $106,000,000!"
This was the entertainment section headline, a number that would inevitably be remembered in North American and global film history!
Taking several deep breaths, David Ellison finally calmed down, expressionless. As the head of a film company, he naturally understood the magnitude of this figure.
This was not the final box office, not the first-weekend gross—it was The Avengers' North American box office in just one day!
Slowly closing the newspaper, the number lingered like a curse, entwining David Ellison's mind, leaving him no moment of peace…
...
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