"The Avengers" doesn't come out in America until May 4, but the Marvel blockbuster is already setting records overseas.

The Joss Whedon film opened in some foreign markets on Wednesday and has already earned $17.1 million, according to THR.

"Marvel's The Avengers" had the second biggest opening ever in Australia (behind only "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2"), and earned the best-ever opening day in New Zealand. "The Avengers" also grabbed $3 million in France.

Based on box-office tracking figures, "The Avengers" should be huge. Projections for the film's opening weekend top out near $150 million, but even that could be on the low-end. After all, the reviews for "The Avengers" have been stellar and audiences seem to have a pent-up anticipation to see Iron Man, Captain America, Thor and Hulk together onscreen.

The aforementioned "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2" owns the all-time record for opening weekend grosses with $169.1 million. "The Dark Knight" and recently-released "Hunger Games" follow in second and third, with $158.4 and $152.5 million, respectively. With its 3D-enhanced ticket prices and comfy summer kick-off release date, could "Marvel's The Avengers" beat even the Boy Who Lived? It's possible, but whatever record "The Avengers" set by assembling could be short lived: "The Dark Knight Rises," the sequel to "The Dark Knight," looms in July as another possible record breaker.

"Marvel's The Avengers" hits theaters on May 4. The film will close out the Tribeca Film Festival on April 28.

[via THR]

"Marvel's The Avengers" Clips

Also on HuffPost:

"; var coords = [-5, -72]; // display fb-bubble FloatingPrompt.embed(this, html, undefined, 'top', {fp_intersects:1, timeout_remove:2000,ignore_arrow: true, width:236, add_xy:coords, class_name: 'clear-overlay'}); });