The Avengers Sinks Battleship and The Dictator at the Box Office
Battleship
The Avengers continued to hold onto the top spot at the box office, sinking three major new releases in the process.
The Avengers grossed an estimated $55 million in its third week of release, Box Office Mojo reports. The expensive action film Battleship, starring Taylor Kitsch and Rihanna, plundered just $25.3 to come in second. Sacha Baron Cohen's The Dictator followed at No. 3 with $17.4 million — a far cry from the openings of Borat ($26.4 million) and Bruno ($33 million).
Box office: The Avengers continues to break records, Dark Shadows has grim debut
At No. 4, Dark Shadows took in $12.7 million. The third newcomer of the week, What to Expect When You're Expecting, delivered a soft opening of $10.5 million to land at fifth place, despite stars including Jennifer Lopez and Cameron Diaz.
The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel was No. 6 with $3.2 million. In seventh, The Hunger Games followed close behind with $3 million.
Rounding out the top 10: Think Like a Man (No. 8, $2.7 million), The Lucky One (No. 9, $1.7 million) and Pirates! Band of Misfits (No. 10, $1.4 million).