The Avengers successfully conquered the box office this weekend, smashing records and earning over $200 million in receipts. What is this result telling us about audience tastes, and does this spell a successful formula?

The Hollywood blockbuster formula continues to evolve, as audiences crave for special effects, and more ‘hero’ driven flicks with super-powers. Not all have been successful, such as ‘The Green Hornet’ which failed to make an impression on the box office. But, with ‘The Avengers’, a group of super humans must save the planet from annihilation. The stakes are high, but as always, the heroes must overcome an uphill battle to triumph. It’s the concept of human vulnerability mixed with our fantasy to have superpowers that makes this a fun, go-to see movie.

It’s also a time where economic hardship in America is still painfully real, and to escape from a harsh reality and to put the mind into the super-human fantasy, is a great distraction. In addition to the superhero formula is Robert Downey JR, who audiences connected with in ‘Iron Man’. The success of that movie has made this an epic, and we could see this approach 800-$1 billion at the global box office.

Are you going to watch ‘The Avengers’?