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

It was indicative of the record-setting opening weekend of $152.5 million for Lionsgate’s “The Hunger Games,” the biggest opening weekend ever for a non-sequel in domestic theaters, far surpassing the $116 mil. of “Alice in Wonderland.”

Another opening weekend record was set by the $10.6 million of the gross that came from 268 IMAX screens that offered no 3D like “John Carter” and no scenes shot with IMAX cameras as in “Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol.” IMAX audiences were treated only to the bigger and customized IMAX experience, which set records for a digital-only IMAX release and for a non-sequel 2D release.
Some IMAX theaters even added 3 a.m. showings to meet advance demand following sold-out midnight screenings on Thursday night/Friday morning, according to Greg Foster, Chairman and President of IMAX Filmed Entertainment.
“We are absolutely thrilled that so many fans saw The Hunger Games in the IMAX format,” said Lionsgate’s EVP of Distribution and General Sales Manager David Spitz. “The total immersion that IMAX offers surely augmented the gripping story and provided fans with a special way to experience this movie.”
“We believe the IMAX release of The Hunger Games’ helped broaden the audience beyond young females to include our core fanboy audience,” said Richard L. Gelfond, CEO of IMAX. “With sellouts all weekend and IMAX fans coming out in record numbers, these results clearly show that IMAX is a powerful way to eventize a movie.”

It was also the third biggest overall opening ever behind “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2″ ($169.2 mil.) and “The Dark Knight” ($158.4 mil.).

The female-skewing “Hunger Games” even surpasses the opening weekends of every “Twlight” movie, which were also based on a series of extremely popular books skewing primarily to females.
“Hunger Games,” very similar in the concept of government-managed violent competitions for peons to movies like “Rollerball,” and featuring reality show elements that harken back to movies such as “The Truman Show,”  was easily accessible even for audiences who had not read any of the books, although a few character traits and situations were more clear for those familiar with the novels.

Meanwhile, Universal’s 3D “Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax,” which had less than half that big of an opening weekend three weeks ago, picked up another $13.1 mil. this weekend, climbing past $177 overall in North America.

Two weekends ago IMAX 3D provided a whopping 17% contribution to Disney’s “John Carter” — $5 million from 289 North American IMAX theaters of that movie’s $30.6 domestic opening weekend (the movie grossed another $70.6 million overseas, for a global opening weekend total of $101.2 mil. before Disney announced a write-off on the $250 mil. production). Without IMAX, “John Carter” dropped even more dramatically in its third weekend to just $5 mil., for a total to date of $62.3 mil. in North America and $234.4 million globally.

– 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

Sony’s 3D Blu-ray of “The Smurfs” ($45.99) offers a very good 3D representation of the computer-animated movie that generated more than half-a-billion dollars in theaters worldwide last summer. Once again the 3D on the home version is perhaps even more vibrant and visually dynamic than in theaters.

<Story continues following the 3-minutes of video highlights below from a Sony Pictures Home Entertainment media day at Sony Pictures Animation in Culver City to demonstrate the many bonus features, especially those accessible via the Internet and mobile devices…>

Oddly not included in the 3D Blu-ray set is an original new half-hour cartoon on the other Blu-ay sets called “The Smurfs: A Christmas Carol” that cleverly resurrects the original TV-style animation to distinguish the dream sequences from the present-day scenes in the new computer-animation.

– 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

“Spy Kids: All the Time in the World” ($39.99 four-disc set from Dimension Films via new distributor Anchor Bay on Nov. 22), is the fourth installment in the gadget-heavy Spy Kids franchise and the most effective 3D yet.
This time spy mom Jessica Alba starts out very pregnant in the midst of a high-speed chase while keeping her unaware husband posted on her increasing labor pains. It continues in that hyper-reality mode as the emphasis once again shifts to her spy kids and their friends and dog who all employ super high-tech weapons and tools that could previously be demonstrated only in cartoons like “Inspector Gadget.”

Kids and their parents know what to expect here (except maybe the voice of comedian Ricky Gervais as a talking dog), and this “Spy Kids” once again delivers, this time with the enhancement of a 3D quality that truly adds a new dimension to the gadgets and the fun.

Bonus features include the usual array of deleted scenes and behind-the-scenes featurettes, including a funny interview with Gervais in the recording studio.

– By Scott Hettrick

* “Bolt 3D” ($49.99 four-disc combo) is not only the best of this group but also the best Disney animated movie in nearly a decade when it was released in 2008 — it deserves a sequel, at least for Blu-ray. The story of a TV hero dog actor that has to perform heroic feats in real life to save his young girl owner, is clever, cute, funny, and filled with very impressive action sequences and more, all enhanced on this Blu-ray 3D:
–  Terrific and impactful use of 3D in an amazingly dynamic and exciting opening chase scene, and in numerous sequences throughout such as on a train and in an alley.
– Elaborate and detailed backgrounds and settings showcased brilliantly here in Blu-ray HD.
– Hilarious hamster comic relief character called Rhino who gets a starring role in a so-so animated short in Blu-ray bonus features.
– Fun theme song and music video “I Thought I Lost You,”  and charming in-session video with Miley Cyrus and John Travolta singing duet (when Cyrus was still charming).
– Plethora of solid traditional Blu-ray-only bonus features, including making-of, deleted scenes, interactive game (that needs better instructions for play on a laptop)

* “G-Force 3D” ($44.99 three-disc set) is the Blu-ray and 3D version of Jerry Bruckheimer’s 2009 family live-action and computer-animated action/comedy featuring high-tech gadget-wielding guinea pig would-be spies.
– Fun, if a little silly.
– Short (88-minutes including several minutes of credits).
– Stellar voice cast: Nicolas Cage, Sam Rockwell, Jon Favreau, Penelope Cruz, Tracy Morgan, and Steve Buscemi.
– 3D shows far more depth here than in theaters and has many brief sequences of flying rodents, breaking glass, etc., that successfully break the frame and appear to pop out of the screen.
– Enjoyable bonus features (Blu-ray only), especially in-depth “Cine-Explore” picture-in-picture behind-the-scenes; two mini-docs with Bruckheimer, director Hoyt H. Yeatman, Jr., and his 11-year-old son; and three music videos: “Jump” by Flo Rida featuring Nelly Furtado, “Ready To Rock” by Steve Rushton, and “Go G-Force.”

* “Chicken Little 3D” ($44.99 three-disc combo) brings the industry’s first digital 3D theatrical film from 2005 to Blu-ray 3D. The modern twist on the classic children’s cautionary tale is only 81-minutes and not particularly memorable but the 3D is solid as showcased here. There are a handful of typical bonus features here, including audio commentary by the Barenaked Ladies, a sing-along, music video by the Cheetah Girls, and a making-of filmmaker Q&A.

 * “Meet the Robinsons 3D” ($44.99 three-disc set) is a 2007 theatrical release that was the last of Disney’s string of so-so movies of the early-to-mid 2000s, but which features decent 3D that is also showcased well here. The Blu-ray-only bonus features are average — a “Kids of the Future” music video featuring the Jonas Brothers is a sign of the times — and include a standard-def  featurette about inventions.

– By Scott Hettrick