It's no secret that "Avengers: Age of Ultron" will make a ton of money during its opening weekend. But just how big will this sure-to-be-massive movie ultimately become?

Predictions among box office analysts are mixed, but one forecast seems a given: The second flick in the "Avengers" series should easily outpace the first film's jaw-dropping $207.4 million domestic debut from 2012. Per Variety, "AMC is reporting dozens of opening-night sellouts, MovieTickets.com is moving tickets at four times the rate of the first 'Avengers' and Fandango says pre-sales ... [match] those for all previous Marvel Studios films combined."

That excitement is a huge coup for Marvel and Disney, and it's matched by opening weekend estimates that range from the more conservative $200 million to as much as $215 million or higher. Couple that with the $201 million "Ultron" has already racked up overseas, and "Ultron" will easily cruise to box office dominance over the next few days.

While it's opening weekend success is assured, what about the flick's long-term international box office chances? "Furious 7" made headlines recently when it became the fastest flick ever to earn $1 billion worldwide; could "Ultron" steal that record? And furthermore, will it outpace "The Avengers," which has raked in $1.52 billion and earned the third place crown on the all-time international box office chart?

"Furious 7" has proven to be a juggernaut, but it would seem that the momentum is swinging back in Tony Stark and co.'s favor. Only time will tell, of course, but bet on the Avengers crew to come out swinging in a fight for some of that box office glory. Current champ "Avatar" ($2.79 billion) may want to watch its back.

[via: Variety, Washington Post]

Photo credit: Disney