Dominant Avengers sink Battleship

Avengers Assemble continues to muscle out everything else Hollywood throws at it, easily sinking naval rival Battleship and other new releases in the US.

With 55.1 million US dollars, Disney's superhero sensation remained number one for a third-straight weekend and took in more than the three big newcomers combined.

Overseas, Avengers Assemble - starring Robert Downey Jr, Scarlett Johansson and a host of other A-list acting names - added an additional 56 million US dollars.

The film is approaching the 1.2 billion US dollar mark worldwide, totalling 457.1 million in the US and 723.3 million internationally.

"Avengers is dominating the marketplace so profoundly that the newcomers are having a tough time breaking in now," said Paul Dergarabedian, analyst for box-office tracker Hollywood.com.

Universal's Battleship opened a distant number two with 25.4 million US dollars, well below industry expectations. But the board-game adaptation starring Liam Neeson, Taylor Kitsch and Rihanna already has grossed 226.8 million US dollars overseas since launching in April, giving it a worldwide total of 252.1 million.

"I would be glad to be number two if we opened to a better number. But given the presence of an absolute juggernaut in the marketplace, there's nothing you can do," said Nikki Rocco, head of distribution for Universal.

"Not to have a shot at being number one this weekend is disappointing. But it's a challenge with Avengers out there."

Sacha Baron Cohen's comedy The Dictator, in which he plays a tyrannical third-world leader, debuted in third-place with 17.4 million US dollars for the weekend. Since opening, the Paramount release has taken in 24.5 million.

The Dictator opened with 30.3 million US dollars in 29 overseas markets, giving it a worldwide haul of 54.8 million. Paramount executives said they were happy with that start, but even a movie aiming for laughs had some trouble making in-roads against those Avengers.