While the Marvel blockbuster doesn’t open until May 4 in the United States, its international box office haul from this weekend portends a record-shattering few days ahead in America, as The Avengers raked in $178 million worldwide from Wednesday to Sunday.

It gripped the No. 1 spot in all 39 markets where it opened, from Iceland to New Zealand, for the biggest haul of 2012. The Marvel Comics blockbuster received the biggest ever opening in Latin America, including Mexico ($15.9 million) and Brazil ($11.3 million) plus Argentina, Ecuador, and Peru. In Asia, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Korea were the biggest markets, and The Avengers ranked the third largest weekend for a Western film in India.

The superhero title debuted in the U.K. ($24.7 million), France ($12.7 million), Italy ($10.4 million) and Australia ($19.7 million), where it reached the second highest opening ever, behind Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2, per The Hollywood Reporter.

The Avengers is expected to surpass $150 million in the U.S. next weekend, with Fandango, the online movie retailer, reporting The Avengers holds 61% of ticket sales in the U.S.

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