Even more impressive is the cumulative global haul of $642 mil. in the first 12 days of release worldwide, according to the Walt Disney Studios, which owns producer Marvel Studios and released the movie.

The enlarged IMAX screen enhances the experience, as does the 3D, though once again not as much as one would like. IMAX trailers of “Dark Knight Rises,” featuring scenes shot with special IMAX cameras, and the IMAX 3D version of “Frankenweenie,” appear to make even better use of both formats.

It goes without saying that the appeal of “The Avengers” has gone well beyond the hardcore comic book fans of the Marvel series, first published in 1963. The Joss Whedon-directed and written movie got generally strong reviews, though I suspect true fans enjoyed the 2 1/2-hour immersion in fantasy more than the casual superhero movie fan. To me, this collection of superheroes — Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, Thor, Captain America, Hawkeye and Black Widow — seems rather similar in concept to “X-Men” and “Fantastic Four,” teams made up of individuals that each have unique supernatural powers.

Don’t get me wrong, I get a kick out of good superhero movies – I thoroughly enjoyed the 1978 “Superman,” the 2005 “Batman Begins,” and “Iron Man” in 2008, and I was entertained by the original “X-Men” and many others, including the recent “Thor.” Perhaps that’s because I enjoy something with more story (especially back-story) and character development than a preponderance of battles with giant computer-generated mechanical space aliens.
Thank goodness for a steady supply of humor by Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man. Clark Gregg is once again terrific and gets to show a little self-deprecating humor and heroism himself as the otherwise no-nonsense beloved S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent Phil Coulson. Mark Ruffalo is perhaps the most empathetic and human character as Bruce Banner but a little inconsistent in personality and physical capabilities when he becomes the giant green Hulk, though that erratic behavior is played for two good laughs when he cold-cocks Thor in the side of the head just for the hell of it, and when he flips the villain around like a rag doll — Thor’s quasi-brother Loki (Tom Hiddleston). Jeremy Renner was more interesting in “Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol” than as the high-tech-arrow-slinging Hawk. Chris Hemsworth surprisingly holds his own, even saddled with  the inexplicable Old English dialogue of his Thor, who hails from another planet. Scarlett Johansson (Black Widow) and Samuel L. Jackson (Nick Fury) have much bigger roles here than in prior Marvel movies, but each is no more than serviceable to the story. The same is true for Chris Evans as the recently-thawed Captain America.
Speaking of story, there are way too many story-lines and way too much going on in general, even for a 2 1/2-hour movie. But, clearly, most audiences have been anxious for an explosive dose of pre-summer mindless escapism. And this one delivers.

The movie was released more than a week ago on April 25 in some overseas territories, where it set all-time opening weekend records in Hong Kong, Malaysia, New Zealand, the Philippines, and most South American and Central American countries, and enjoyed massive openings in the likes of Russia on May 3 ($17.9 million) and China on Saturday, May 5, with $17.4 mil., the biggest Marvel movie opening weekend ever there.

The IMAX 3D version is in 451 digital theatres worldwide, setting a new IMAX three-day opening weekend global box office record with $21.4 mil., bringing the worldwide gross to $31.3 mil. in IMAX theatres worldwide since April 25.

While the $200 mil. in the U.S. blows away the previous biggest opening weekend in the U.S., held by last year’s “Harry Potter” finale at $169.2 mil., the Friday “Avengers” gross of $80.5 mil. and the $69.7 mil. on Saturday were second best all-time.

“The Avengers” is the first Marvel Studios film to be marketed and distributed by The Walt Disney Studios and comes less than two weeks after Disney Studios President Rich Ross was ousted from Disney following the record-setting disastrous opening and run of “John Carter” in March, a rare short-lived IMAX 3D film.
The success of “The Avengers” ensures that more Marvel and Disney superhero movies will be released. The companies announced a month ago that a sequel to 2011’s “Captain America: The First Avenger” will be released April 4, 2014. A sequel to last summer’s “Thor” is scheduled for release November 15, 2013, and the third installment of the hit “Iron Man” series, will arrive in theaters May 3, 2013.

– By Scott Hettrick

IMAX 3D delivers the best experience on the planet for this mission to Mars. “John Carter” opened in 290 IMAX theatres in the U.S. Friday, March 9, and will play in 194 IMAX theatres internationally.

Director Andrew Stanton has followed his Pixar brother Brad Bird to the big-budget, live-action arena, and the result is a strong and visually dynamic outing that makes for a modestly fun ride through time and space. The story, based on the Edgar Rice Burroughs novel, A Princess of Mars, follows an American Civil War soldier (Taylor Kitsch) to the red planet where he finds himself caught up in another civil war amongst the locals on the fourth rock from the sun. But this time he quickly becomes the reluctant hero since he finds that he has gravity-defying leaping ability and slightly superhuman strength.
He also finds a lovely princess (Lynn Collins) who has the potential of healing the scars of a tragic Earthly romance. This princess is closer to the soul of Xena: Warrior Princess than any traditional Disney princess.
(Review continues below the following 10-min video scene from the movie.)

“John Carter” may be slightly silly and childish to some moviegoers at times, particularly relative to the globular creature with a dog-like personality that adopts Carter, perhaps reflecting the sensibilities of Stanton’s roots in the likes of “Finding Nemo” and “Wall-E.” And Carter’s leaping abilities and skills at executing them become quickly absurd. But all of that is easily dismissed by those willing to simply experience the movie as a fun piece of big entertainment.

– By Scott Hetrick

It could be argued that watching the whole 3D “Phantom” without glasses might be a better experience since the 3D is so minimal that there is almost no blurring at any point, and without the glasses the movie is noticeably brighter.
Even the “Ice Age” 3D short that precedes the movie, “Scrat’s Continental Crack-Up Part 2” offers far more dynamic 3D, although that 2 1/2-minute short is also a disappointment to anyone who already saw it a couple months ago with other films during the holidays.

It would be easy and unfair to blame the low/no-impact 3D in “Phantom” on conversion company Prime Focus, which also got the blame for the rush job they say they were forced to do on “Clash of the Titans” (ironically, “Phantom” is preceded by a trailer for “Wrath of the Titans” — really, they’re doing a sequel to that movie?), and which also did the similarly subtle 3D on the final “Harry Potter” movie.
But the blame here has to fall on George Lucas, since this is obviously a creative choice he made to keep the 3D minimized, just as he did with the 3D in the revamped Star Tours attraction at Disneyland and Disney World, though even the 3D in the pod race there is a little more impactful than it is in this movie.
That’s a shame. Even Lucas’ contemporary Martin Scorsese has demonstrated with “Hugo” that he knows how to maximize the use of 3D, and to a lesser extent than “Hugo” but certainly a greater extent than “Phantom,” Spielberg also demonstrated an awareness of how to leverage the technology to good effect in “The Adventures of Tintin.”

Here’s hoping that subsequent installments of the superior chapters of “Star Wars” show significant improvement in the 3D, and perhaps even this movie can still be salvaged for the inevitable Blu-ray 3D version at some point.

– By Scott Hettrick

The sequel, “Journey 2: The Mysterious Island,” not only boasts digital 3D improved by four years of technology advancements, but it has the added advantage of a presentation on giant IMAX screens, always a significantly heightened visual impact over any other theater experience.

The Warner Bros. Pictures release of a New Line Cinema film that opens Friday in 282 IMAX theaters in the U.S. and another 166 overseas,  is an engaging family adventure, that will especially appeal to young boys who enjoy films such as the “Spy Kids” series.

Daffy Duck in 3D short "Daffy's Rhapsody."

Even before the movie begins, the exhilarating combo experience of IMAX 3D hits audiences literally between the eyes with the always eye-popping IMAX opening logo branding sequence, followed by another fun new computer-animated Looney Tunes short. “Daffy’s Rhapsody” is not quite as fun as some of the recent Road Runner entries, but the 3D is used to maximum effect as Elmer Fudd chases Daffy around a stage as the duck continues singing and performing while dodging the remarkably politically incorrect point-blank shotgun blasts from Fudd’s rifle.

Only Josh Hutcherson returns to reprise his role as young Sean Anderson, this time joining his step-dad (Dwayne Johnson) on a highly unlikely adventure to the fabled Jules Verne island where animals are of reverse size — elephants are the size of small dogs; butterflies are the size of pterodactyls and bees are big enough to fly. There they meet up with Anderson’s heroic adventurer grandfather (Michael Caine) and a father-daughter team (the goofball helicopter pilot played by Luis Guzman, and his strong-willed daughter Vanessa Hudgens of “High School Musical”).
The idea is to traverse the spectacular and danger-filled island to find Verne’s famed Nautilus submarine and make their way back home.

Director Brad Peyton guides the 3D to far great effect here than his notably inferior “Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore.” The foliage of the island is exploited well, with something always in the foreground to establish clear depth, and the gimmicky scenes of giant lizards and numerous objects extending off the screen are obvious but executed effectively.
As with “Avatar,” there is a far greater sense of immersion in the jungle and the scenes of flying on the back of giant creatures when enjoyed on a giant IMAX screen.

The story itself and the dialogue of “Journey 2″ is of noticeably lower quality than its predecessor, but not to the degree that it will be any test of endurance for parents to enjoy with young children.  It’s of the caliber of the less memorable Disney live-action movies such as “The Cat from Outer Space” or “The Island at the Top of the World,” all of which entertained plenty of audiences at the time, as will this film.

– By Scott Hettrick

“Beauty and the Beast” is perhaps even more stunning in 3D than “The Lion King,” which surprised the industry with a whopping $94 mil. at theaters last fall initially intended as a brief run to promote the Blu-ray 3D debut.
The 1991 “Beauty,” which has grossed $350 million worldwide since then, was one of the first animated films to use some digital animation. That helped greatly in the 3D conversion. Among the most notable new attributes:

- Belle’s opening number walking across bridge and into village is filled with so many shots showcasing 3D that it looks to have been originally designed that way.
- Extravagant “Be Our Guest” number does not disappoint with obvious 3D benefits of dancing plates
- Signature “Beauty and the Beast” ballroom dance even begins with dazzling display 0f 3D from bottom and top of staircase.

Meanwhile, Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol, which had an exclusive five-day window at IMAX theaters last month, picked up another $14.2 mil. this weekend, increasing total domestic box-office to close to $190 million, surpassing the original movie in the series.

Another 3D movie, “The Adventures of Tintin,” picked up another  $4.4 million, bring the domestic gross total-to-date to $68.9 million.

– By Scott Hettrick

* “Arthur Christmas“ is easily the more broadly enjoyable of the two. It’s hard to imagine anyone not finding this clever twist on Santa Claus charming and delightful.
The computer-animated family film from British production company Aardman, traditionally known for stop-motion films such as “Wallace and Gromit” and “Chicken Run,” has delivered an unexpected holiday gift for Sony Pictures Animation.

The story follows three generations of the Claus family trying to come to grips with the transition of leadership to the next in succession. With the current Santa (Jim Broadbent) of retirement age and showing signs of slipping, the likely next-in-line is eldest son Steve (Hugh Laurie), who has been preparing for the day for years with his high-tech mechanization and military style management of the entire North Pole process, including a super-sonic sleigh. But the even older GrandSanta (Bill Nighy) favors the traditions of his day and the passion of his younger unassuming and nerd-ish grandson Arthur (James McAvoy).
It all leads to a slightly predictable but nonetheless amusing scenario in which young Arthur finds himself trying to save the day using his Grandsanta’s dilapidated sleigh led by the few surviving reindeer to reach the chimney of a young girl who was inadvertently bypassed by Steve’s digital distribution.

Director and co-writer Sarah Smith, with the assistance of Sony Pictures Imageworks, uses the 3D to good effect in almost every shot. While it seldom pushes off the screen very much, the depth and space between objects close and far is palpable throughout, especially in scenes depicting the factory command center full of tiered rows of elves, and the aerial shots from the perspective of the sleighs.

* “Hugo“ is full of heart and a loving tribute to one of the original pioneers of cinema, Georges Méliès of turn-of-the-century France. The film, set in a train station in 1930s Paris, takes awhile to build up a head of steam and feels more like a period European film for its long-ish running time of more than two hours.
But the sweetness and sentimentality of the story about an orphaned young boy trying to complete the dream of his father while secretly keeping the giant station clock tower properly wound up, is sincerely conveyed by director Martin Scorsese and the cast of Ben Kingsley, Sacha Baron Cohen, Asa Butterfield, and Chloë Grace Moretz.

Even more impressive is Scorsese’s use of 3D, which greatly enhances the impact of the story, subliminally drawing the audience in visually, as it should. He also uses 3D to create more obvious dynamic effect, starting with the first scene in which the camera moves at a fast pace through the station, past the trains, and between the crowds to immediately establish the setting and the feeling of the hustle and bustle far more effectively than could be done in traditional 2D.
Likewise, 3D provides a far more dramatic visualization of the enormous vertical scale and scope of the station clock tower to initially enhance the sense of detachment of Hugo from the swarms below, and later to emphasize the scope of his view of the Paris skyline, and finally to create a heightened sense of fear and suspense during a chase to the top of the staircase.
Even Méliès’ iconic film “A Trip to the Moon” gets a tantalizing 3D makeover, as well as impressive colorization.

– By Scott Hettrick

A lot is riding on Disney-Pixar’s “Cars 2,” so to speak.
Pixar chief John Lasseter used to denegrate Disney animated movie sequels, except for his own “Toy Story 2,” especially those that Disney premiered first on DVD. But in the past few years he not only greenlit “Toy Story 3″ and the upcoming prequel to “Monsters, Inc.,” this year he released “Cars 2″ and is building an entire theme park land (Cars Land) at Disney Resort’s California Adventure based on the franchise.
Lasseter even has a “Cars” spin-off called “Planes” set to premiere first on Blu-ray in 2013, and has produced a couple handfuls of Cars Toon shorts for the Disney Channel and theaters that are available on a separate Blu-ray set called “Mater’s Tall Tales.”

The new “Cars 2″ Blu-ray 3D  features promotions for that “Planes” production, and it looks great in 3D and appears as if it will be great fun as well.
Likewise, the new theme park attraction also gets a big plug here — in 2D, not 3D — and also looks to be a very fun theme park land, especially Luigi’s Flying Tires levitating ride that offers a nostalgic revival of the 1966 short-lived Disneyland Flying Saucers attraction.

Other most notable bonus features:

* “Air Mater,” exclusive new Cars Toon 3D animated short that appears to be a transitional production to bridge “Cars” with the upcoming “Planes,” with tow truck Mater sprouting wings and flying with an aerial acrobatic team of jets. Whatever drove the creative concept, the outcome is very entertaining, the 3D is quite effective, resulting in a fun cartoon that should appeal to all viewers.

* A 3D trailer for the studio’s upcoming 3D animated theatrical release “Brave” is enticing.

* Toy Story Toon “Hawaiian Vacation,” the six-minute 2D animated short that preceded “Cars 2″ in theaters is a fun cartoon depicting the gang of toys working together to try to create a faux island getaway for Ken and Barbie while house-bound during the dead of winter.

* Full menu of “on-location” featurettes, from Tokyo to London and many points in between, offer fun behind-the-scenes shorts and a couple of unmarked surprises as well.

Interestingly, the “Cars 2″ movie itself, depicting the lovable collection of automobile personalities in an overseas adventure, is probably the least interesting element of this entire set. The primary challenge for the viewer, particularly younger kids, is that the story is far too ambitious, mixing in multiple plot lines involving the strained relationship between Mater and Lightning Queen, a complicated international spy ring conspiracy revolving around a duplicitous oil corporation pretending to be promoting alternative fuels, Mater’s inadvertent complicity in that mystery, and Mater’s budding romantic relationship with a femme fatale motorcar.
As is typical for Pixar movies, the 3D is very subtle to the point where it feels superfluous, except for the enjoyably intense opening scene depicting a boat in the unlikely setting of a dark and turbulent ocean.
Even if the story isn’t as fun and engaging as we are used to from Pixar movies, the extravagant locations are visually dynamic and the movie has moments in which it draws knowing humor from Mater dealing with the customs of overseas cultures, especially in Tokyo.

– By Scott Hettrick

Disney-Pixar did 3D conversions of the original “Toy Story” and “Toy Story 2″ that were released theatrically as a double-feature in 2009. The following year  the company released the first made-from-scratch 3D installment in the series when “Toy Story 3″ was released theatrically in summer 2010.

Although Disney already released elaborate Blu-ray editions of all three films, none were offered in Blu-ray 3D until now. All three movies are being released Tuesday, Nov. 1 in four-disc and five-disc combo sets for $49.99 each, which each also include the previous Blu-ray, DVD and digital copy versions — “Toy Story 3″ includes a second Blu-ray disc of bonus features. For those who already have all those previous iterations, Disney has gratefully offered a 3D Trilogy set that includes only the three Blu-ray 3D discs of each movie for a $100 retail price — Amazon.com has priced it at less than $68, making it a very reasonable cost of less than $23 per disc.

Each 3D disc includes impressive 3D trailers for upcoming 3D animated Disney studios, “Brave,” and Pixar’s made-for-disc spin-off of “Cars” called “Planes” in 2013.

Curiously, and disappointingly, the delightfully clever Oscar-nominated 3D short, “Day & Night,” is not included in 3D on the “Toy Story 3″ disc.
It is, however, included on the 2D Blu-ray bonus disc, as are numerous behind-the-scenes programs and interactivities including a fun trivia game with questions specific to “Toy Story 3″ or to all three movies in the series.

Click the following for a review of the “Toy Story 3″ Blu-ray edition.

This is one of the few movie series that many felt improved with each new installment. While I would not argue strenuously against that opinion, I enjoyed “Toy Story 2″ more than the most recent installment, which is also terrific but features several scenes that are suprisingly intense.

Pixar’s very subtle approach to 3D remains in evidence here. While the 3D on some movies is accentuated for home display, all three of these films offer little more than a slightly greater sense of depth, with the 3D only really noticeable in a handful of scenes.

Click the following for a complete review of the theatrical film “Toy Story 3.”

– By Scott Hettrick

• “The Lion King” Diamond Edition 3D (Disney, 4-Disc Combo Pack, $49.99) is enormously impressive and satisfying on many levels, starting with the 3D HD disc:
  - More depth and emotional impact than ever.
  - Clear distinction of depth between images in foreground and those on multiple background planes in opening pre-title sequence soaring over the plains of Africa and running with the indigenous herds of animals.
  - No sense of gimmickry.
  - Much more powerful moment when Rafiki presents young Simba in air atop Pride Rock
  - Far more intense sequences amidst the bones in the animal graveyard and deep inside the dense overgrowth.
  - Viewer drawn much closer during tender moments when young Simba curls up under the paw of his dead father and when Nala leans in to affectionately rub her head against Simba’s neck upon finding him alive. Simba’s reflection in the water feels tangible.
  - Fun 3D preview for “Cars 2.”
  .
  Treasure trove of new and previously-released bonus features on other discs:
  - 3 1/2-minutes of voice bloopers & outtakes cleverly set to animation as if the animated characters themselves made the flubs.
  - 38-minute elegantly and admirably produced retrospective “Pride of the Lion King” featuring almost all the current and former Disney top brass involved with the movie and Broadway play adaptation, and several voice cast.
  - 20-minute illuminating and fascinating personal video memoir of the evolution and production of the movie by producer Don Hahn.
  - 14 minutes of a handful of deleted scenes with director intros
  - Hours of additional sing-alongs, interactivities, and previous DVD bonus features.
  .
• “Beauty and the Beast” Diamond Edition 3D (Disney, 5-Disc Combo Pack, $49.99) is perhaps even more stunning in 3D than “The Lion King.” It was one of the first animated films to use some digital animation, which helps greatly in the 3D conversion. It is the 3D that is the most dynamic aspect of this new edition:
  - The opening menu instantly dazzles with impressive depth of text options that pop off the screen.
  - Belle’s opening number walking across bridge and into village is filled with so many shots showcasing 3D that it looks to have been originally designed that way.
  - Extravagant “Be Our Guest” number does not disappoint with obvious 3D benefits of dancing plates
  - Signature “Beauty and the Beast” ballroom dance even begins with dazzling display 0f 3D from bottom and top of staircase.
  .
  And all the terrific bonus features of “Beauty and the Beast Diamond Edition” 2D Blu-ray released a year ago.

– By Scott Hettrick

From the opening pre-title sequence soaring over the plains of Africa and running with the indigenous herds of animals, producer Don Hahn and stereoscopic supervisor Robert Neuman, the latter of whom did 3D so well on Disney’s “Tangled,” imbue the movie with a clear distinction of depth between the images in the foreground and those on multiple background planes without injecting any sense of gimmickry. The triumphant moment when Rafiki presents the young Simba up in the air atop Pride Rock is much more powerful; sequences amidst the bones in the animal graveyard and deep inside the dense overgrowth are far more intense.
The audience is drawn much closer during tender moments when young Simba curls up under the paw of his dead father and when Nala leans in to affectionately rub her head against Simba’s neck upon finding him alive. Simba’s reflection in the water feels tangible.

(l-r) Producer Don Hahn, stereographer Robert Neuman, directors Rob Minkoff and Roger Allers

An enthusiastic D23 Expo audience in Anaheim last night (Aug. 20) was treated to the first public screening of the new 3D edition of the 17-year-old movie that will have a limited theatrical run next month before being released on Blu-ray Oct. 2 along with a long-delayed 3D version of “Beauty and the Beast.” Hahn, Neuman, and directors Rob Minkoff and Roger Allers discussed the movie on stage Saturday night before the screening began.

About four-minutes of clips from the Blu-ray 3D version of “Lion King” and a teaser from “Beauty and the Beast” have been playing in the Exhibit Hall at D23 since Friday on Panasonic equipment. The home version and the big-screen version both look equally impressive.

Disney introduced the studio’s first attempt at converting movies to 3D – “Toy Story” and “Toy Story 2” –  at the first D23 Expo in 2009 with far less dynamic results.
Hakuna Matata – this time Disney got the 3D conversion right on “The Lion King.”

– By Scott Hettrick