The Avengers: $207.4 Million Opening Weekend!

The Avengers, the movie that put together marvel superheroes, like Iron Man, Thor, Captain America and the Hulk, broke box office records this weekend. The total weekend gross is $207,438,708 domestic(US & Canada). The highest grossing opening weekend for any box office film, domestically. The previous record was held by Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2, at $169,189, 427.

The Avengers made $80,813,985 on Friday, $69,577,990 on Saturday and $57,066,733 on Sunday. Friday's total was the second highest grossing Friday ever. Saturday and Sunday totals where the highest grossing for any box office film, on those days. The film is also fastest film to reach $200 million domestic, in three days. A record previous held by the Dark Knight, in five days.

Internationally, so far it has made $654,838,708 at box office and is on pace to reach $1.0 billion in next few weeks. The film was released in 39 foreign countries a week before the US. Where opening weekend box office records were also broken in counties such Mexico and Brazil.

It's no surprise, The Avengers is doing blockbuster numbers. But the $200 million opening weekend gross, was not expected. One reason is that, the movie pretty much scored very high praise from most critics and audiences. The film received 93% on Rotten Tomatoes and A + from Cinemascore, a market research firm which surveys audiences after the see the films. Many people tweeted about seeing the film 2 or 3 times, just this weekend alone. Another reason is the film saw more money from many 3D sales.


Source: Box Office Mojo, Rotten Tomatoes

Styles of Sachertorte

Every nation has at least one food that typifies their culture. For Austria, the pastry role of its signature cuisine is filled by the famous sachertorte, a dense chocolate cake whose layers are separated by coatings of apricot jam. When I was in Vienna in October of 2010, the Sacher Cafe, claimed inventor of the torte, was just a few blocks away from the hotel. In addition to enjoying a slice at this cafe one evening, I also sampled varieties from a few other locations around the city. It was interesting to see how the different places made slight changes to the pastry (i.e. one place used three layers of cake instead of two, another used a slightly tarter jam ect... ect...).

If you can find Sachertorte in your area, I would recommend trying it. The Sacher Cafe also runs an export business that ships the cake around the world. Check out their website for more details.

Sacher Cafe- Vienna   

Eternal Lovers: Solomon and Sheba

I. His face wise and noble.

II. Her eyes dark and alluring.

III. His hair agleam with oil.

IV. Her skin scented with spices.

V. His robes dyed in rich colors.

VI. Her brow adorned with jewels.

VII. His weapons of bronze and iron.

VIII. Her ornaments of delicate gold.

IX. His fields blanketed in wheat.

X. Her gardens awash with incense.

XI. His forests rich in timber.

XII. Her pastures host exotic animals.

XIII. His palace sheathed in marble.

XIV. Her chambers of ebony and ivory.

XV. His chalice filled with wine.

XVI. Her table laden with fruit.

XVII. His bounty offered many blessings.

XVIII. Her desires were all fulfilled.

XIX. A world away, He loves her still.

XX. A world away, She loves him still.