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'Avengers' smashes U.S. box office record

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Awesome movie !!!.... 5 out of 5 stars...it will make a billion dollars and pass Titanic and Avatar!!!

1 ( +4 / -3 )

This movie made me a Hulk fan. Him and Iron Man completely stole the show. How bad must Spider Man be feeling for being left out!

0 ( +2 / -2 )

Are mouth-breathing 12 year-old boys the only ones left going to the movies these days?

-19 ( +3 / -22 )

Maybe a little entertainment is creeping back into Hollywood after they figured out people would rather have a some escapism in their movies verses the endless politically correct, socially coconscious, soap opera, remakes that we have seen over the past few years.

5 ( +7 / -2 )

Riffraff - yeah, I guess you're right. If theres one thing Hollywood needs, it's more comic book movies for the always ignored 12-21 man-boy demographic. Besides, I hate movies with stuff like too many words or big words, or like, y'know, stuff like a friggin story thats gay and stuff.

-15 ( +5 / -20 )

Heard this was awesome, but it looks like it won't be released in Japan until August. Hunger Games doesn't have a Japanese release date at all. Disappointed in you, Japan!

3 ( +4 / -1 )

Anything made by Joss Whedon, I agree with!

5 ( +5 / -0 )

has buffy a cameo? :p

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Riffraff - yeah, I guess you're right. If theres one thing Hollywood needs, it's more comic book movies for the always ignored 12-21 man-boy demographic. Besides, I hate movies with stuff like too many words or big words, or like, y'know, stuff like a friggin story thats gay and stuff.

For one, it's obviously for the 12-31 man-boy demographic.

Second, if you're only interested in more serious flicks, please feel free to only watch those. There's something for everyone in the movie biz. Some have mass appeal, some don't but a fact is that 'story-less' films like the Avengers help to bankroll the more 'thoughtful' stuff you probably claim to enjoy.

If not for films with mass appeal like the Avengers, the movie/cinema industry would have collapsed a long time ago.

4 ( +4 / -0 )

Finally, Joss Whedon gets the credit, respect and publicity he deserves. He is genius.

5 ( +5 / -0 )

Nothing wrong with family entertainment. Take the kids, eat some popcorn, enjoy the special effects. Family time!

2 ( +2 / -0 )

I just got back from the film about an hour ago. The other characters and actors were largely established but Mark Ruffalo was really great as the Hulk, that was a nice surprise. Stay until the last moment after the credits are done, of course. Joss Whedon makes sure he'll be a fan cult favourite for a long time to come. Ready for Avengers II

0 ( +1 / -1 )

GaroJ...well said!

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

Of course Japan wont be getting it until August....

1 ( +2 / -1 )

No months without anything to watch at the movies will do that.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

93% at RottenTomatoes.com

That's high!

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Hooray fo hollywood!

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

Joss Whedon has an excellent track record on making these kind of movies and television shows for comic book fans. I was very excited to hear that he was directing the Avengers movie. I am looking forward to the August release date here (yep....long wait). Maybe they will show it earlier on the military bases. I'll have my friends watch out for me on that. The commercial teaser spots on Japanese TV don't give much much info about the film, and I don't think the Japanese people knows who are the characters involved in the movie yet. But I bet the buzz will increase with the later advertisements.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Aliasis,

I thought the same thing.

!Walt Disney said the film, which was released first abroad before hitting U.S. shores, ..."

So what happened with Japan? An August release? What a waste...

0 ( +0 / -0 )

"Heroes"

I'm hoping there are some real-life heroes who will get Warren Weinstein safely out of Pakistan.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

i thought it was an awsome movie, aloot of samuel jackson! ;)

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Japan is always the last on the release list. Any movie which is successful overseas is left to the last possible moment to release in Japan so the local distributors PR and marketing efforts can use the hype created overseas. Its just all about maximizing the release time for greater returns. More bums on seats will happen thanks to all the associated press buzz generated over the next few months. Summer school holiday release for sure.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

I've never liked Hulk as an Avenger. The idea of him joining a tema sieems funny to me.

I've alowys seen Hulk as a little too unstable to be a team player. I mean, seriously, ,he runs around saying, "Hulk smash!"

I couldn't agree more. The Hulk has never been a team player and is all about the Hulk. When will he learn there's no "I" in team?

And c'mon, "Hulk smash"?? He adds nothing to a conversation...

-5 ( +2 / -7 )

The Cabin in the Woods is another one from Whedon that I found quite interesting and intelligent, although really gory. Great horror movie.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Japan isn't always last on the release list. Battleship came out here first. Amazing Spiderman will come out here first. Dark Shadows and MI3 will come out at about the same time. That "we need more time to grow buzz" excuse falls flat...

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

FYI the audience was 40% female and about 50% over 25. So a lot of snobs got it wrong.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

FYI the audience was 40% female and about 50% over 25. So a lot of snobs got it wrong.

No, thats actually an accurate reflection on the adult to knucklehead ratio in North America.

-6 ( +2 / -8 )

About 70% of the movies playing are of Japanese origin now. Many US ones are dubbed which takes time. Kadokawa and associates want to squeeze all they can out of the imports. Movie theaters as we know charge a lot here. The Avengers hasn't even been seen on tv commercials yet. They are playing it safe but they are Japanese and they are great delayers as we all know.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

I thought the Avengers was about John Steed and Emma Peel.

0 ( +2 / -2 )

Isn't piracy supposed to be killing the movie industry?

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Aliasis/LFR in Japan: Japan always releases from one week to three months (if it's a Hollywood hit) after it's been released elsewhere. This nation is often 120th or later to get certain movies in theatres, including 007 movies and other smash-hits. I've asked people up and down Japan, from friends who are just your average Joe Tanaka, to a guy I know who works for industry. None of them could answer me correctly, and make excuses like, "Well, Japan is one of the only nations that shows dubbed versions and subtitled versions at the same time in theatres, and that takes time to make," but this argument falls flat when I point out that movies like The Last Samurai screen FIRST in Japan and then open in the US later the same day (due to time difference).

The reasons are as follows:

1) to save money. Although this is one of the more minor reasons, the JFB DOES save money on rights if they release later.

2) PR. This is the main reason. If Japan releases a movie concurrently with Hollywood or wherever it is released, all the of the big name stars will be in their home nations doing interviews, showing up at screenings, and doing PR events, and Japan cannot get them to come for the Tokyo PR events that build up hype for the release. By waiting until August, Tokyo will be able to get most if not all of the Avenger stars to appear for live interviews and before fans at screening.

3) Japan is painted in what the JFB feels is a negative light. Lost in Translation, for example, took two years to hit cinemas despite winning Academy Awards, and even then only hit smaller and repetoire cinemas for a short time before DVD release. On the contrary, again, The Last Samurai was a HUGE event in Japan, with the nation being the world release (more on that in a minute).

Exceptions to this are series, like Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings, where the delay is a lot shorter (one week or so) based on the success of prequels.

There ARE movies that will be released at the same time as Hollywood, but those usually are limited to films that have Japanese actors and/or portray Japan in a positive light, or else movies that Japan can claim to release 'first in the world' (South Korea does this too, by the way... They got the rights to screen Terminator: Salvation, and all you saw were posters everywhere saying, "First country in the world to release!").

As to the Avengers, it looks like it's going to be awesome. I will definitely see it either in cinema or when it comes out on DVD. To be honest, aside from Iron Man I think the cast is a ridiculous assemblage of characters to be chosen for such a task, and can't stop thinking about how HORRIBLE the movie Thor and all the Hulk movies have been, but still.... sounds wicked. I want to see The Hunger Games as well, among other films. I'll pass on the romantic comedy.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

cleo: "I thought the Avengers was about John Steed and Emma Peel"

Me too!

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Inflated movie ticket prices can be somewhat misleading though. Here's an interesting article that claims the all-time U.S. box office champ is still 'Gone With the Wind' :

http://www.suntimes.com/12376633-417/richard-roeper-avengers-200-million-haul-huge-but-rhett-butlers-still-king.html

0 ( +0 / -0 )

I prefer a thousand times at least I enjoy Japanese anime

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Followed closely by superman, batman, spiderman, and Ashton Kutcher in "Dude, where's my maturity?"

-4 ( +0 / -4 )

The Will Wheaton rule for the internet goes thusly, "Don't be a dick."

If you want to have an argument about your supposed intellectual superiority over the masses because you can't enjoy a good popcorn flick, (due to your old, cold dead heart pumping pure gasoline) then I'm game, because I can finally use my philosophy major for something productive. Superheroes are the new pantheon of gods in our modern myths, but more importantly, people like superheroes because superheroes are awesome. If you don't like them, it means there's something wrong with you. Not with superheroes.

I don't envy you your boring, cynical life. And you don't sound smart enough to be this smarmy.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

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