The Avengers scores biggest weekend opening of all-time in U.S.

The Avengers has smashed US box office records by becoming the first movie to break the $200 million mark in its opening weekend.

The Marvel action epic, with an all-star cast including Robert Downey, Jr., Scarlett Johansson and Chris Hemsworth, is projected to have raked in a massive $200.3 million in its first three days of release, with $18.7 million from midnight screenings on Friday (04May12) alone.

The huge take shatters the previous best box office opener, set last year (11) by Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, which grossed $169 million when it hit theatres in July (11).

The previous top superhero movie was Batman film The Dark Knight, which now holds the third biggest opening weekend spot of all-time with $158.4 million, followed by The Hunger Games and Spider-Man 3.

The Avengers, which has now taken $641 million worldwide, easily defeated last week's (ends29Apr12) most popular film at the US box office - Think Like a Man paled in comparison in second place with $8 million, while The Hunger Games is third.