will take the stage at Lolla in Grant Park in August.

She has never attended the worldfamous festival but said she had always wanted to go and never got around to it. For her, there isnt a better way to introduce herself to it. Of course, the crowd will hardly look like the family-friendly audience Reinhart performed for on a weekly basis on Idol

Jeremy Irons

Idol runner-up Crystal Bowersox will perform Wednesday at the Dempster Foundation Casino Night, hosted by the Cubs Ryan Dempster, at the Palmer House Hilton Chicago. Saturday Night Live alum David Spade will perform Saturday at Make-A-Wish Illinois Wish Ball 2012 at the UIC Forum. Access

and Brandon Marshall hit Board Room on April 26. Oscar-winning director Steven Spielberg was spotted at Vertigo Sky Lounge in the Dana Hotel on Saturday. Singer/actress Jennifer Hudson shopped at Mark Shale in 900 North Michigan Shops on April 29. Former Nip/ Tuck actor Dylan Walsh had dinner with his family April 26 at Tavern on Rush.

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Avengers a marvel
Continued from Page 1

last year, on the New Mexico set of the film, no one was more acutely aware of that danger than Whedon, the acclaimed Hollywood writer known for pitchperfect comedy and group dialogue. Coming in, I was worried about Robert Downey Jr., he said as he watched the actor in his Iron Man armor prepare for a fight scene. Theres that reputation, that he wants to rewrite everything Ive been the master of the universe on the sets Ive walked on, but Im not on this one. The Avengers represents a career hallmark for Whedon, who co-wrote the screenplay with Zak Penn. Despite an ardent fan base and plenty of critical acclaim and industry respect, the creator of Buffy the Vampire Slayer had yet to have a break-out hit film (though he did receive an Oscar nomination as one of the screenwriters on Pixars Toy Story). Comic book fans had waited ages to see this grouping of characters on the screen, and Marvel had plotted to bring the heroes together over four separate movie franchises, including Iron Man, Thor and Captain America: The First Avenger. You have to step back and appreciate how you get to a place like this and a lot of the credit goes to the years of work that it took to create traction for these characters, said Dave Hollis, Disneys executive vice president of distribution. Through each of the characters films, a string of

Top weekend film openings

Three-day grosses, in millions of dollars

The Avengers (2012)

$200.3 million*

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (2011)

$169.2

The Dark Knight (2008)

$158.4

The Hunger Games (2012)

$152.5

Spider-Man 3 (2007)
$151.1

The Twilight Saga: New Moon (2009)

$142.8

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Mans Chest (2006)

$138.1

Iron Man 2 (2010)

$128.1

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (2010)

$125
* Estimated SOURCE: Boxofficemojo.com TRIBUNE

equity was built, and that ultimately paid off with this culmination. Disneys decision to open the film overseas before it hit U.S. theaters helped to turn the movies debut into a worldwide event. Indeed, many Hollywood studios are increasingly beginning to open movies abroad first

in an effort to capitalize on international ticket sales, which often account for the majority of the overall gross on big-budget event films. We had 70 percent of the international business open a week ago, and coming out of that space with such strong grosses signaled that this was not just a fan movie not just a guy movie but a movie for everyone, said Hollis. The international openings definitely helped to create some of the fervor were ultimately witnessing. Marvel and Disney spent roughly $220 million to produce The Avengers. Thats by far the biggest budget yet for the famously thrifty Marvel, whose most expensive project to date has been 2010s Iron Man 2, which was made for about $170 million. Marvel is about to start shooting Iron Man 3, while Thor 2 is ramping up and Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige seems re-engaged with director Edgar Wrights Ant-Man project. For the moment, though, everyone in the Marvel universe can sit back and bask in the glow of cosmic windfall one particularly welcome after Disneys previous interstellar mis-adventure John Carter crashed and burned earlier this year. While speculation swirls around whether Whedon will direct an Avengers sequel, the filmmaker, who co-scripted and produced the recent horror film The Cabin in the Woods, is set to release a version of Much Ado About Nothing later this year. No word on whether the Hulk will have a cameo.

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