Avatar Wallpapers

'Dictator' and 'Dark Shadows' also make the top five over the weekend.By Ryan J. Downey Chris Evans as Captain America In "The Avengers" Photo: Walt Disney Studios Of all the foes the Avengers have defeated, Universal Pictures may be the first to cry, "You sunk my battleship!" With another $55.1 million earned during its third week in domestic theaters, "The Avengers" held strong at #1 over the weekend as Earth's Mightiest Heroes fended off competition from three new contenders, including "Battleship." The big-budget action pic, loosely adapted from the vintage game, which featured the catchphrase "You sunk my battleship!" in its once-ubiquitous TV commercials, was a distant second with an estimated $25.3 million debut. Universal spent a reported $209 million on "Battleship," which opened earlier overseas (where it has already made $226 million). But the domestic debut for the action flick, which mixes seafaring military adventure with an alien invasion, is still a huge disappointment. "Battleship" lists Taylor Kitsch first in the credits among a cast that also includes Rihanna, "True Blood" star Alexander Skarsgård and Liam Neeson. The former "Friday Night Lights" actor top-lined "John Carter" for Disney earlier this year, which famously flopped with a $30.2 million opening weekend against a $250 million budget. Disney shouldn't be feeling the sting of "John Carter" any longer, of course. "The Avengers" is the first film distributed by the mouse house since the company bought Marvel, who produced the superhero team-up in association with Paramount Pictures. "The Avengers" has passed "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest" to become the studio's biggest movie ever, collecting over $450 million in the U.S. in just 17 days (10 days faster than previous quickest-to-$450-million record-holder "The Dark Knight"). The long-awaited and well-reviewed film uniting the big-screen incarnations of Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, Hulk, Black Widow and Hawkeye became the fourth-highest-grossing movie of all time over the weekend, sitting on the worldwide chart just behind "Avatar," "Titanic" and "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2." And "Battleship" wasn't the only newcomer to buckle against the continued strength of Marvel's heroes. "The Dictator" was #3 during its first weekend in theaters with $17.4 million. The latest comedy from Sacha Baron Cohen, best known to American audiences for "Borat," has collected $24.4 million since it opened in the middle of last week. The comedian's "Brüno" opened with $30.6 million in 2009, higher than the original bow of "Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan." However, during its entire domestic run in theaters, "Brüno" ultimately grossed less than half of the $129.5 million gathered by "Borat" from November 2006 into 2007. "What to Expect When You're Expecting," loosely inspired by the book of the same name, settled for fifth place with a $10.5 million debut. The ensemble comedy has been savaged by film critics. "What you don't expect is how bad almost all of it is," wrote the New York Daily News. The Philadelphia Inquirer wasn't much kinder: "It makes one long for the comparative complexity and subtlety of 'Valentine's Day.' " Sandwiched between "The Dictator" and "What to Expect" at #4 was Johnny Depp's "Dark Shadows," a satirical take on the vampire soap opera of the same name, which teamed Depp once again with filmmaker Tim Burton and Burton's domestic partner, actress Helena Bonham Carter. "Dark Shadows" dropped 57 percent in its second weekend, taking in just $12.8 million for a total of $50.9 million. The last Depp/Burton collaboration, "Alice in Wonderland," is #25 on the all-time box-office-gross list with $334.1 million. The Atlantic summed up "Dark Shadows" like this: "Fans of Depp's past collusions with Burton will find their rewards along the way. But there's a perfunctory vibe to the goings on, a weariness amid the weirdness." The trio of Will Smith, Tommy Lee Jones and Josh Brolin (as a younger version of Jones' character) are projected to have the best chance yet of defeating Earth's Mightiest Heroes at the box office when "Men in Black 3" arrives in theaters this weekend. The sequel will, of course, be aided by "The Avengers" nearly month-long availability at that point and audience familiarity with the first two blockbuster entries in the series. Check out everything we've got on "The Avengers" and "Battleship." For young Hollywood news, fashion and "Twilight" updates around the clock, visit HollywoodCrush.MTV.com. Related Videos Get Psyched For 'Avengers' MTV Rough Cut: 'Battleship'

'By the time 'Avengers' is done kicking box-office butt, it will easily be the #3 film of all time,' one box-office expert tells MTV News.By Fallon Prinzivalli Mark Ruffalo as The Incredible Hulk in "The Avengers" Photo: Marvel "The Avengers" sure did assemble! Marvel's superhero film is still the reigning champion of movie theaters after it smashed box-office records in its first two weeks. Now, it's rising to the top of the worldwide charts, recently staking claim to the ninth spot, passing George Lucas' "Star Wars: Episode 1 - The Phantom Menace." It's currently the highest earning film of 2012 domestically, stealing the title from "The Hunger Games," which opened in March. At present, the Joss Whedon-directed summer flick has raked in more than $1 billion across the globe, and the numbers keep rising. The popularity of the movie is overwhelming, but a few questions still remain. For starters, how high will the film go? Gitesh Pandya, the editor of Box Office Guru, told MTV News, "I see Avengers climbing up to #4 on the all-time worldwide blockbusters list by the end of this weekend. That would put it at roughly $1.2 billion, which is astounding. It should pass the final 'Harry Potter' to finish its run as #3 all time, which alone is just incredible." Jeff Bock of Exhibitor Relations agrees: "By the time 'Avengers' is done kicking box-office butt, it will easily be the #3 film of all time. Only 'Avatar' and 'Titanic' will be left untouched, as James Cameron is a superhero unto himself. Both [films] made history by debuting over the holiday season, where popcorn flicks are few and far between. [And] unfortunately for 'Avengers,' summer blockbusters invade every weekend, and theaters will soon be flooded with competition." The competition Bock is referring to is obviously Christopher Nolan's final Batman installment. "You know what happens when you leave Batman for dead? He gets angry, rises from the dead and pops you right in the kisser," he said. " 'The Avengers' versus 'The Dark Knight Rises' has all the trappings of a big-time Hollywood drama. Let's face it, 'TDKR' is probably the most anticipated threequel since 'Return of the Jedi.' All bets are off!" Boxoffice.com's Phil Contrino agrees that Nolan's film could beat out "The Avengers" in the battle for overall domestic earnings, but ultimately won't top the opening weekend or worldwide sales for two reasons. It just doesn't have the widespread family appeal that Captain America and Iron Man brought with them, or the 3-D prices to give it a boost. With "Battleship" sailing into theaters this weekend, Pandya expects "Avengers" to drop by around 40 percent. "[That will put it in] the neighborhood of $60 million," he said. "That's a great hold for a movie this big." But as far as Earth's mightiest heroes becoming the highest — or even second-highest — film of all time globally, Contrino doesn't believe it will happen. "When you burn so bright for one weekend, the only place to go is down," he said. Check out everything we've got on "Marvel's The Avengers." For breaking news and previews of the latest comic book movies — updated around the clock — visit SplashPage.MTV.com. Related Videos MTV Rough Cut: 'The Avengers' Related Photos 'Avengers' Assemble At Los Angeles Premiere 'Avengers'

Carolyn Giardina Kimball, whose credits also include "Real Steel" and "Gone Baby Gone," brings to the company a vast wealth of knowledge about aspect ratios, light levels and post-production processes.read more

Carolyn Giardina Kimball, whose credits also include "Real Steel" and "Gone Baby Gone," brings to the company a vast wealth of knowledge about aspect ratios, light levels and post-production processes.read more