Avengers' box office win gives Disney room to right itself - Calgary Herald

With a global box office take of $640 million for "The Avengers" opening weekend, that $4 billion that Disney spent back in 2009 to acquire Marvel Entertainment doesn't seem like all that much.

The star-studded Marvel blockbuster pulled off the biggest box office opening in U.S. history this weekend, a welcome piece of good news for a studio that has been stumbling from one misstep to another.

"The Avengers," which has taken in more than a half-billion dollars in just 12 days, sets the stage for Disney to change the tone of the conversation about its movie strategy.

Disney wouldn't confirm but didn't deny Sunday that an "Avengers" sequel is on the way. That, along with the boost to the studio's upcoming Marvel character movies and the millions to come in licensing deals and theme park projects ensure "The Avengers" will be pumping revenue into Disney's coffers for the foreseeable future.

In addition, TheWrap has learned that Disney CEO Bob Iger has chosen a successor to the ill-fated studio chief Rich Ross, according to two individuals with knowledge of the situation.

Turning a new leaf with a global blockbuster and a fresh face heading the studio is a good way to head into an earnings call on Tuesday, and would put "John Carter" and the Rich Ross debacle further in the rearview mirror.

When Disney reports its fiscal second-quarter earnings, the focus will still be on the $200 million writedown on megaflop "John Carter" that the company announced in April. But it will be balanced by the weekend's astonishing box office take. Disney shares are currently trading at $42.93, not far off its peak $44.50 established in March.

"The Avengers" didn't just beat the final "Harry Potter" movie for the best-ever opening, it beat it by $30 million, with a staggering $200.3 million three-day haul. That came on the heels of an international campaign that was carefully calibrated to pump domestic buzz, and has taken in $441 million to date in the process.

The stratospheric opening numbers for "The Avengers" are to a large degree the result of a strategic master plan devised by Marvel president Kevin Feige, a producer on the film, and the Marvel Studios team. They plotted the slow-build of anticipation for "The Avengers" over six years, beginning with the first "Iron Man" movie in 2008.

And the plan is still working: The unprecedented success of Joss Whedon's "The Avengers" will provide a shot in the arm for the next three Marvel superhero films. Next year, the third "Iron Man" film arrives next year in May and a "Thor" sequel is set for November 2013."Captain America: The First Avenger" is planned for April in 2014.

For Disney, the broad appeal of "The Avengers" both domestically and abroad should pay dividends beyond movie tickets.