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

Perhaps because it requires such a commitment and because the running time of 3-hours and 15-minutes, plus a 15-minute intermission, at least at the Universal City AMC IMAX theater, doesn’t allow for as many daily showings, the opening weekend was only about $17.35 million Friday – Sunday. That was good enough for third place on the weekend but the lowest among all four of the 3D re-releases from the past eight months, including “Beauty and the Beast” ($17.75 mil.). But “Titanic” opened on Wednesday, April 4, and its $25.7 million from the first five days ranks second among 3D re-releases behind “The Lion King” ($35.1 mil.), according to BoxofficeMojo.com.
Overall, “Titanic” played at 2,674 locations this weekend and has now grossed $626.5 mil. domestically, still second behind “Avatar,” both of which belong to director James Cameron.

The re-release of “Titanic” requires a commitment of about 4-hours (and that’s without the usual 20-minutes of trailers) but while you’re there and after you leave, you feel as if you’ve been part of an experience that will stick with you. In fact, it’s reasonable to assume from the age of many moviegoers that the movie already stuck with them so much for the past 14 years that they wanted to repeat the 1997-98 big-screen experience of “Titanic.” And a large percentage (Paramount says more than half) were younger consumers under the age of 25 who wanted to have the big screen experience for the first time. (At $19.50 for a prime-time reserved seat ticket, it’s not likely this generation of young people will be going back multiple times as they did in 1998.)

And what an experience – the converted 3D creates a noticeable improved impact from the opening moments of the modern-day sequence of the submersible exploring the sunken ship. You’re never going to see the ship appear to come out of the screen above your seats or see chunks of the iceberg hurtling towards you. But that’s just fine. Perhaps the biggest wow moment is early on when the camera swings above Rose standing on the back railing of the ship contemplating a suicidal jump. The far more evident height, distance and depth of her precarious perch will make you more nervous and tense than ever before. The rest of the time the 3D and the larger visual scope of the IMAX screen (though it does not completely fill the giant screen vertically or horizontally) subtly engage you more completely and make you more aware of important elements you may not have noticed previously.

If it weren’t for “Wrath of the Titans” committed to many IMAX theaters, “Titanic” may have even been stronger since IMAX theaters accounted for 9 of the top 10 highest-performing “Titanic” locations and a combined total of $2 mil. (eight percent) from 79 IMAX theaters, according to Hollywood.com Box Office. IMAX can swap “Wrath” for “Titanic” in more theaters this coming Friday. Or perhaps even “The Hunger Games,” which only enjoyed a first week run in IMAX theaters but has now grossed more than $300 million in domestic theaters alone.
Warner’s 3D “Wrath” fell 55% to just over $15 million, for a 10-day total of $58.9 mil.

Those two films are just two of the five 3D movies still on the box-office charts, with Universal’s “Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax” adding another $5 mil. this weekend to take it to less than $2 mil. short of $200 mil. in its first five weekends. Disney’s “John Carter” is up to $68 mil., and Warner’s “Journey 2: Mysterious Island” is about to break $100 mil.

– 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

The movie directed by Burton and featuring the voices of Catherine O’Hara, Martin Short and Winona Ryder, will be the first black-and-white Hollywood feature and first stop-motion animated movie to be presented in IMAX.
“IMAX has a long-standing relationship with Tim Burton, whose unique artistic vision and brilliant storytelling has captured the imagination of audiences around the world,” said Greg Foster, Chairman and President of IMAX Filmed Entertainment.

After unexpectedly losing his beloved dog Sparky, young Victor harnesses the power of science to bring his best friend back to life—with just a few minor adjustments. He tries to hide his home-sewn creation, but Sparky gets out, sparking strong reactions from Victor’s fellow students, teachers and the entire town.

– By Scott Hettrick

Meanwhile, Paramount Pictures and RealD are combining to offer a sneak preview of “Titanic” 3D on Tuesday, April 3 at select theaters in the U.S.,  a day before it opens publicly on Wednesday, April 4 in RealD and IMAX, as well as 2D.

Most showings are at 6:30 p.m. and include, while supplies last, a Sneak Preview Pack that includes:

• One ticket to the movie sneak preview
• A collectors edition pair of Titanic RealD 3D glasses
• A limited-edition Titanic movie art lithograph

A limited number of tickets are available on first-come, first-served basis at theaters and through this web site:  www.TitanicMovie.com/FanSneakPreview.

James Cameron has digitally re-mastered the movie in 3D, to be re-released to coincide with the 100th anniversary of the Titanic setting sail on April 10, 1912. “Titanic” is one of only three films to have received a record 11 Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director.

– By Scott Hettrick

The movie premieres overseas on Oct. 26 and in U.S. theaters two weeks later on Nov. 9, 2012. This is the first IMAX installment of the iconic Bond film franchise.

“ ‘Skyfall’ will be the cool, must-see event release of the fall, and releasing the film in IMAX only reinforces that,” said Rory Bruer, President, Worldwide Distribution for Sony Pictures Worldwide Marketing and Distribution.

“It is fitting that with ‘Skyfall’ marking the 50th Anniversary of the James Bond franchise, we celebrate in epic style and what could be more larger-than-life than IMAX joining the festivities,” said Gary Barber and Roger Birnbaum, Co-Chairman and Chief Executive Officers of MGM.

“It is an honor and a privilege to be a part of this legendary franchise, whose iconic characters and electrifying action will only be amplified in the IMAX format,” said Greg Foster, Chairman and President, IMAX Filmed Entertainment. “We are excited to rejoin forces with our friends at Sony Pictures Entertainment and MGM and so pleased to work with Michael G. Wilson, Barbara Broccoli, and Sam Mendes to bring their vision to IMAX and Bond fans around the world.”

Mendes is directing the movie from a screenplay written by Neal Purvis & Robert Wade and John Logan. Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli are producers.

Although there is no indication that any sequences of “Skyfall” will be filmed with IMAX cameras, as was the case with “Mission: Impossible — Ghost Protocol,” which creates an even much larger image. But the IMAX release of “Skyfall” will be digitally re-mastered into the image and sound quality of The IMAX Experience with proprietary IMAX DMR (Digital Re-mastering) technology.

Daniel Craig returns for the third time as the British Secret Service agent in “Skyfall,” the first Bond movie in four years. Judi Dench also returns as 007′s boss, called M.
Also starring in “Skyfall,” in which Bond’s loyalty to M is tested as her past comes back to haunt her, will be Ralph Fiennes, Javier Bardem and Naomie Harris.In “Skyfall,” Bond’s l

– By Scott Hettrick

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

Scott Hettrick

Mann and Milch, unlikely partners as two of three executive producers of the new HBO series about the underbelly of horse racing called “Luck” (9 p.m. ET/PT on Sunday nights beginning January 29) joined the show’s two highest-profile stars, Dustin Hoffman and Nick Nolte, on a panel during HBO’s presentation at the Television Critics Association tour Friday in Pasadena.
<Story continues along with review of all nine episodes of “Luck” below the following 85-second video interview with Hoffman and Mann…>

My father took our family to a movie in 1969 starring Steve McQueen called “The Reivers,” an adaptation of the William Faulkner novel, featuring slow-motion scenes of horses racing that Dad thought represented some of the most impressive cinematography he had ever seen.
I think he would have thought the same about the powerful scenes of horse racing at Santa Anita in “Luck.”

But even some of those who follow horse racing and are familiar with Santa Anita expressed disappointment with the one-hour pilot that HBO showed as a sneak preview last month. Too many characters and too much insider jargon that combined to make it a little hard to follow, and nothing much of significance happening which made it feel a little slow and not very engaging. Providing even more challenge in the pilot, most of the characters are degenerates and criminals who don’t initially exude much charisma or humor, though they do each have personalities that will eventually emerge.

For those viewers who were not bowled over by the pilot, I recommend sticking with it with a few more episodes; the second hour ramps up considerably, even if it is still not “The Sopranos.” In fact, mob-like violence eventually creeps in during later episodes, particularly as Hoffman’s character, who is being released from prison in the first scene of the pilot, becomes entangled by episodes four and five with a yacht-residing heavy rival for Hoffman’s Ace character played by Michael Gambon (the polar opposite of his avuncular Professor Dumbledore in the “Harry Potter” movies).
It is that juxtaposition of the seedy side of horse racing set against the idyllic ambiance of Santa Anita that offers the primary intrigue and focus of the show. Milch described it as the “double-ness” of Santa Anita, the real world and the “Santa Anita of the mind.”

The momentum of the mid-series episodes, including a mild earthquake tremor that literally shakes up the motley crew while dining at the local “Rod’s Grill” near the track, tends to stall a bit before regaining energy in the final installment.

Along the way, despite the multitude of characters already in place, new high-profile actors like Gambon continue to be added, such as Joan Allen. Her role as a persistent horse welfare activist (a la Bo Derek?) and her motivation is as vague as many of the other characters, but she appears to become a potential romantic interest for Ace.

Another actor gaining screen time after the pilot is Hall of Fame former jockey Gary Stevens (“Seabiscuit”), whose story arc carries him through a recurrence of his battle with alcoholism that threatens his career. Stevens displays an impressive and extensive range of acting skills that his prior acting roles had not allowed.

For Hoffman, the series presents a new opportunity to work unencumbered by studio executives.
“I’ve not had this experience before,” he said. “You can’t get a shot at doing your best work in the studio system.”
HBO does not have committees analyzing and making recommendations, he said. He also enjoys having three cameras filming at the same time to catch different angles so that actors don’t have to repeat the same shot multiple times.

Also somewhat unique to this HBO series is the wide variance in running times of each “one-hour” episode by as much as 20-minutes.” Each episode has a different director and some run about 45-minutes while others run 50-plus minutes and 60-plus minutes, including the 66-minute finale.

Hoffman and the producers all expressed interest in seeing the expensive series be picked up by HBO for several more seasons.
Maybe that would give Milch time to write in a visit to Santa Anita from Tony Soprano or even Carrie and friends from that other former HBO series “Sex and the City.”

– By Scott Hettrick