On Saturday, The Avengers continued to perform strongly. As word-of-mouth praise spread among audiences, the film maintained a high occupancy rate.
Although all 4,480 theaters in North America were running full schedules, the overwhelming crowds still caused the ticketing system of the largest American chain, Regal Entertainment Group, to respond sluggishly under simultaneous purchases, nearly crashing; some theater self-service POS machines were overloaded and damaged by too many card swipes, forcing sales to switch to cash only.
The situation looked extremely promising, yet Duke and Warner Bros. remained cautious.
Although it wasn't a fan-centered film like Twilight and was friendly enough for casual audiences, The Avengers still carried a fan-oriented angle, and such audiences often start high and drop off later.
The Avengers' first-day box office was dazzling, even setting a new North American record, but Duke, Warner Bros., and Marvel Studios never relaxed their promotional and marketing efforts.
The film could not continue sustaining $100 million per day, but Duke worked hard to stabilize the trajectory, avoiding a sudden drop.
On the increasingly influential social networks, viewing reports appeared one after another. The Avengers had no fear of spoilers, as its selling points were never about the plot.
"Exciting action from start to finish, 3D effects are outstanding!"
"One side features the Avengers—Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, Hulk, Hawkeye, and Black Widow—while the other side has Loki allied with the powerful alien army, the Chitauri. Such scale and intensity are bound to redefine superhero films."
"In fact, the film successfully accomplished this. From the opening destructive clash between Loki and S.H.I.E.L.D., to the recurring skirmishes between heroes and Loki, and finally the climactic bombardment in New York, director Duke Rosenberg expertly controlled the intensity and timing of each action sequence. Unlike Michael Bay's Transformers 3, which built up to a final hour 'Battle of Chicago,' The Avengers delivers continuous highlights. Each wave flows naturally into the next, gradually leading audiences to the New York showdown—overwhelming yet exhilarating."
"As a finely produced 3D film, The Avengers' 3D effects are top-notch. Some charging scenes even make viewers instinctively duck or scream, providing an immersive audio-visual thrill that fully showcases the film's intense aura."
"Prominent S.H.I.E.L.D. equipment, like the Quinjet and the Helicarrier, along with meticulously recreated German Stuttgart and New York sets, all appear on-screen in 3D for the first time. For those worried about 3D-induced dizziness, I can personally attest that over the nearly two-and-a-half-hour viewing, there were no feelings of discomfort at all."
"Tip: Fans should resolve 'personal matters' beforehand; otherwise, even if you think you timed it right for a bathroom break, you might miss more exciting scenes later."
"Superheroes spar repeatedly, with contrasting personalities echoing previous films."
"How to cleverly integrate six superheroes in one film? Duke Rosenberg did it again! Concerns about imbalanced roles did not materialize. Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, Hulk, Black Widow, and Hawkeye first sparred among themselves, then each faced off against Loki in brief encounters."
"Early intra-team fights, with Iron Man, Captain America, and Thor ignoring each other in fierce hand-to-hand combat, were thrilling. This hostility wasn't just physical; verbal sparring also served as an effective weapon."
"Besides Black Widow and Captain America's well-known 'flirtatious' moments, Thor from Asgard and Hulk, initially unclear on friend or foe, also delivered a bizarre 1v1 duel that was closely contested."
"But as the Avengers, these internal sparrings are an inevitable team adjustment period. When Earth faced serious danger, previously solo heroes set aside differences to fight Loki together. Through unprecedented cooperation, they realized each other's indispensability and the unstoppable power of teamwork."
"Each hero has both interactions with others and personal highlight scenes. Especially for Black Widow and Hawkeye, who previously lacked solo films, we now have more insight into their past. Marvel wisely linked The Avengers with the previous five films. Pepper Potts from the Iron Man series makes a surprise appearance, and Jane Foster from Thor, though absent, is mentioned by Agent Coulson…"
"Tip: To understand character connections, review the five films leading up to The Avengers. Otherwise, while others are ecstatic, you might be confused by the on-screen chaos."
"Jokes and gags are everywhere, traditional Easter eggs continue."
"The best moments are saved for last. Beyond the explosive action, The Avengers' biggest surprise is the abundance of witty banter, insults, and self-deprecating humor between characters. Stripping away righteousness and masks, the superheroes' true personalities add levity to the intense action."
"From sharp-tongued Iron Man to old-fashioned Captain America, and from haughty Thor to action-loving Hulk, the initially antagonistic heroes continuously exchange clever quips, eliciting endless laughter."
"Especially the new Hulk stands out. Beyond the rage-filled battles in the trailer, Mark Ruffalo's Hulk shows playful and cute sides, delivering hilarious moments with Thor and Loki. Additionally, ambiguous dialogue between the two god brothers caused many female viewers to scream in delight."
"In addition to endless jokes, The Avengers continues Marvel's Easter egg tradition. Stan Lee's cameo is particularly obvious and includes a long line lasting several seconds."
"Of course, the most shocking Easter egg occurs at the post-credits scene. A rumored villain unexpectedly appears with cryptic lines, making viewers shiver and curious about the formidable challenges the Avengers will face next."
"Tip: While eating popcorn or drinking soda, pay attention to timing. Sudden jokes may cause choking. Also, since this Easter egg appears before the full credits, be patient and don't leave early!"
Meanwhile, Duke left Los Angeles to begin the publicity tour.
Since The Avengers released simultaneously in nearly a hundred countries and regions, including major markets in Europe, Latin America, and China, Duke split the cast. Each lead actor was responsible for promotional duties in a specific region—for example, Robert Downey Jr. went to Europe, and Mark Ruffalo, with his Latin heritage, went to Latin America.
Duke, along with Scarlett, responded to an invitation from China Film Group, preparing once again to visit China.
In 2011, China's box office rose over 30% from the previous year. The annual revenue exceeded 10 billion RMB for the first time. Although still smaller than North America, Duke knew China's market would grow rapidly. Within four years, annual box office revenue could surpass 40 billion RMB, making it the world's second-largest after North America.
Moreover, a Chinese leader had just completed a visit to the United States, reaching a series of agreements with the federal government, among which cultural exchanges were particularly notable.
China and the U.S. would establish a series of exchange and cooperation seminars, "China-U.S. Cultural Forum," "China-U.S. Museum Forum," "China-U.S. Literature Forum," "China-U.S. Film Summit," "China-U.S. Creative Industries Forum," and other activities, to strengthen the cultural and intellectual foundations of China-U.S. people-to-people exchanges.
All of these developments are conducive to Hollywood films further expanding their presence in the Chinese market.
On the flight to China, Duke received the Saturday North American box office update forwarded immediately by Warner Bros. After the massive opening day, the occupancy rate and single-day box office of The Avengers inevitably declined.
Fortunately, the film's audience word-of-mouth remained strong, and the promotional and marketing strategy was highly targeted. The drop was minimal, only 18%, with The Avengers earning $82.54 million in the North American market on Saturday alone.
In just two days, The Avengers had already accumulated nearly $200 million in the North American market, surprising many and strengthening the determination of many companies to push for crossovers of their famous film characters.
For example, 20th Century Fox was planning the X-Men universe project, while Universal Pictures intended to have its monsters, like Count Dracula, collaborate again on-screen.
From a promotional and marketing perspective, Marvel Studios also announced its second-phase plan on Sunday. Films like Iron Man 3, Captain America 2, Thor 2, and Guardians of the Galaxy were all scheduled.
Shortly after Duke arrived in China, The Avengers finally concluded its North American first-weekend screenings.
At this time, Nancy Josephson, on Duke's behalf, contacted one of the stars of Fast & Furious 5.