"Avengers: Age of Ultron" has already crossed the $200-million mark in box office collections worldwide within the first weekend of its release, but Germany has barely contributed to it. Theatres in 193 German towns have refused to screen the latest instalment of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, after the rental fee charged from small-town theaters was increased by Disney, the movie's distributor.
German news site Deutsche Welle reported that "Avengers: Age of Ultron" was not shown on 686 screens. It is understood that theatre owners were angry at Disney's increase in rental fee from 47.7 to 53 per cent of ticket sales. It has also refused to spend on advertising and stopped providing advances for 3 D glasses.
Disney has remained silent about the issue.
"Avengers: Age of Ultron" directed by Joss Whedon and starring Robert Downey Jr as Iron Man, Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow, Chris Hemsworth as Thor, Chris Evans as Captain America, Jeremy Renner as Hawkeye and Mark Ruffalo as Hulk, hit theatres in many parts of the world, including Germany, on 23 April.
Although the movie will hit US theatres only on 1 May, it has grossed $201.2 million in box office collections across the rest of the world, of which $9.3 million has come from Germany.
