The Avengers will assemble the dough, but how much?

“The Avengers” will rule the weekend.  No shit!  “The Avengers” will rule the summer.  Maybe–lots of competition brewing.  “The Avengers” will claim the best opening weekend ever.  Hmm…

If I were a betting man (I won’t, put your bills back in your wallet), I would wager “The Avengers” will eclipse the Harry Potter Part 7, Part 2 (That’s how I will know it) and earn $170 million in three days.

If it doesn’t, the film will still succeed to put it mildly. Hollywood press likes to call upsets for anything that fails to defeat old records or even meet expectations.  Considering “Iron Man 1 and 2” were the strongest of the current Marvel lineup and has grossed just a penny over $100 million in their respected opening weekends, “Avengers” annihilating that total will ensure two things:

• There will a dozen more “Avenger” tie-in movies and at least one more direct sequel
• Comic book films will be green-lit for another decade
• Tie-in films will come to fruitition.  I anticipate a “Smurfs/Transformers” team-up after Parts 3 and 6 have hit theaters
• Warner Bros. will continue their attempts to replicate Marvel’s success with their DC characters–“Batman”, “Superman”, “Wonder Woman”, “Flash” and the inevitable “reimaging” of “Green Lantern”
• There will still be no Justice League film for another decade

This weekend, go out and enjoy the “Avengers”.  I’ll be there.  But the folks at Marvel and Disney won’t need my support or any of yours, for that matter.  This thing is going to make a shit-ton.  The only question is: Will it be a $900 million or $1 Billion shit-ton?