On the day (8) Disney CEO Bob Iger announced Avengers 2 had gone into development, it emerged that Marvel Studios / Disney’s blockbuster added an estimated $28.4m internationally on Monday (7) and a further $18.9m in North America.

The international running total stands at $475.8m, while North America has generated $226.4m and the worldwide tally has reached $702.2m.

In North America The Avengers has now passed the lifetime totals of Captain America ($177m) and Thor ($181m).

In worldwide terms it has overtaken the final tallies of Captain America ($364m), Thor ($449m), Iron Man ($585m) and Iron Man 2 ($624m).

As reported previously, by last weekend the international score had outstripped those of Captain America ($192m), Iron Man ($267m), Thor ($268m) and Iron Man 2 ($312m).