"Avengers" sinks "Battleship"

THIS EDIT CONTAINS 4:3 MATERIAL

The new action movie "Battleship" collided with Iron Man, The Hulk and the rest of "The Avengers" this weekend at movie theater box offices, and the super heroes came out on top.

"Avengers" added an estimated 55 million dollars (USD) to its U.S. and Canadian ticket sales and held the No. 1 box office spot for the third straight weekend, according to studio forecasts.

Since it opened overseas in late April, "Avengers" has dominated movie theater box offices worldwide. Global sales for the film that unites a squadron of Marvel super heroes in a battle against evil, reached 1.18 billion through Sunday, making it the biggest Disney release ever, the studio said.

The strong performance left big-budget "Battleship," which launched in theaters on Friday, drifting in second place with just over 25 million. Final figures will be released on Monday.

Steady interest in "The Avengers" likely took business from "Battleship," an effects-filled 209-million dollar production inspired by a Hasbro board game, which also acted as the film debut for pop star Rihanna.

Robin Gibb, who with his brothers Barry and Maurice formed the disco-era hit machine the Bee Gees, has died at age 62, his official website said on Sunday (May 20).

The singer had been battling colon and liver cancer.

The Bee Gees achieved superstardom in the 1960s and 1970s with a string of catchy love ballads and disco hits including "Stayin' Alive", "How Deep Is Your Love" and "Night Fever".

John Russell, Reuters.