( EW.com ) -- Once again , it was all about `` The Avengers '' at the box office , as three new releases failed to even approach the Marvel superhero blockbuster 's third-weekend gross of $ 55.1 million , according to studio estimates . The movie dropped 47 percent -- an admirable hold for a picture that 's putting up such huge numbers . By the end of Sunday , `` The Avengers '' will have made an estimated $ 457.1 million domestically , passing $ 450 million in a record 17 days . ( The previous record holder , `` The Dark Knight , '' reached that milestone in 27 days . ) Meanwhile , `` The Avengers '' also passed `` Pirates of the Caribbean : Dead Man 's Chest '' to become Disney 's biggest movie ever both domestically and worldwide . It now sits in fourth place on the all-time worldwide chart , behind only `` Avatar , '' `` Titanic , '' and `` Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows -- Part 2 . '' `` The Avengers ' '' continued dominance meant fewer moviegoers for `` Battleship , '' which sunk on arrival with only $ 25.3 million . That 's the worst domestic opening ever for a movie with a reported budget of at least $ 200 million . ( Universal spent $ 209 million on the PG-13 picture . ) It 's also a smaller debut than this year 's other notorious flop , `` John Carter , '' which started out with $ 30.2 million . To the dismay of Tim Riggins fans everywhere , Taylor Kitsch has now starred in two of the year 's biggest bombs . `` Battleship '' has so far earned $ 226.8 million overseas , which will help to lessen the damage from the movie 's dismal opening here . Also , Universal will clearly be hoping that the upcoming Memorial Day holiday weekend will soften the film 's second-weekend decline . Still , no matter how you look at it , Battleship 's performance is a major disappointment . Moviegoers were n't able to get past the idea of a seeing a board-game adaptation crossed with an alien-invasion flick , although those who did see it gave it an okay `` B '' rating according to the market-research firm CinemaScore . `` Battleship '' struggled to attract younger moviegoers , as 55 percent of its audience was at least 30 years old . Men represented 57 percent of ticket buyers . In third place , `` The Dictator '' collected a decent $ 17.4 million for a five-day tally of $ 24.5 million . ( The movie opened on Wednesday . ) The result is a bit of a setback for star Sacha Baron Cohen , whose prior comedies `` Borat '' and `` Bruno '' debuted to $ 26.5 million and $ 30.6 million , respectively . Now the question is whether the Paramount movie will fall at the same velocity as `` Bruno , '' which ultimately ended its domestic run with just $ 60.1 million . Both `` The Dictator '' and `` Bruno '' earned a poor `` C '' grade from CinemaScore audiences , which is n't a promising sign . However , whereas `` Bruno '' dropped an alarming 39 percent from Friday to Saturday , `` The Dictator '' managed to rise 16 percent . The movie cost $ 65 million to produce and drew a young , male crowd -- 65 percent of the audience was male , and 56 percent was under the age of 25 . Overseas , `` The Dictator '' fared well for an R-rated comedy , earning $ 30.3 million in 29 markets and topping the weekend in Australia and a number of European territories , including the United Kingdom and Germany . The weekend 's other new comedy , Lionsgate 's pregnancy-themed `` What to Expect When You 're Expecting , '' debuted to an underwhelming $ 10.5 million . The PG-13 movie , which cost $ 40 million and features an ensemble including Cameron Diaz , Jennifer Lopez , Elizabeth Banks , Chris Rock , and Dennis Quaid , attracted a crowd that was 70 percent female and 64 percent over the age of 25 . CinemaScore participants gave it a lackluster `` B- '' rating . Among holdovers , the Tim Burton film `` Dark Shadows '' plunged a steep 57 percent for $ 12.8 million . The $ 125 million horror comedy , starring Johnny Depp as an out-of-his-time vampire , has so far drained $ 50.9 million domestically and $ 81.3 million overseas . In limited release , the sports drama `` Crooked Arrows , '' starring `` Superman Returns ' '' Brandon Routh as the coach of a Native American lacrosse team , scored a surprisingly solid $ 280,000 from 55 theaters . The British geriatric comedy `` The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel '' continued to excel in limited release , grossing $ 3.3 million from 178 locations . The movie jumped 22 percent this weekend even though it did n't add any additional theaters . However , another British comedy , Hysteria , debuted to only $ 40,800 at five theaters . 1 . `` The Avengers '' -- $ 55.1 mil . 2 . `` Battleship '' -- $ 25.3 mil . 3 . `` The Dictator '' -- $ 17.4 mil . 4 . `` Dark Shadows '' -- $ 12.8 mil . 5 . `` What to Expect When You 're Expecting '' -- $ 10.5 mil . See the full story at EW.com . CLICK HERE to Try 2 RISK FREE issues of Entertainment Weekly . © 2011 Entertainment Weekly and Time Inc. All rights reserved .
` ` The Avengers ' '' gained dominance and fewer moviegoers for ` ` . '' ` ` ' '' sunk on release with only $ 6 million . ` ` The Avengers '' collected a decent $ 17.4 million .