The Avengers smashes box office record

Los Angeles - Hollywood's superhero summer has arrived with a vengeance.

The Marvel Comics mash-up The Avengers launched the summer movie season with a $200.3m opening weekend domestically, by far the biggest debut ever.

If distributor Disney's revenue estimate on Sunday holds when the final weekend count is released on Monday, The Avengers would be the first movie ever to haul in $200m in a single weekend.

A $200m total for every movie in release is considered a great weekend for the business as a whole, so The Avengers redefines the standards for a blockbuster debut.

The Avengers shot past the previous record of $169.2m for the debut of last year's Harry Potter finale.

With $441.5m overseas since last week, The Avengers worldwide total climbed to $641.8m.