Ultimate Avengers

Ultimate Avengers (also known as Ultimate Avengers: The Movie) is a 2006 animated superhero film loosely based on the first six issues of the Marvel Comics Ultimates comic book series by Mark Millar and Bryan Hitch. Produced by Marvel Animation and DongWoo Animation, the film focuses on Captain America, a super soldier who was frozen in ice for about 60 years after stopping a Nazi/extraterrestrial plot in 1945. The Captain is assigned to lead a team of heroes found by General Nick Fury of S.H.I.E.L.D to fight an alien threat.

Released theatrically on February 26, 2006, the film received mixed reviews from critics, who generally praised the animation and voice performances but criticized the script. However, the film was a box office success, grossing $58 million on a budget of $6 million. The film was made back-to-back with its sequel, Ultimate Avengers 2: Rise of the Panther, which was released in August, and a spin-off, titled Next Avengers: Heroes of Tomorrow, was released in 2008.

Box office
In the United States and Canada, the film opened alongside Madea's Family Reunion, Doogal, and Running Scared, and was projected to gross $5-10 million in its opening weekend. The film opened with $300,000 in Thursday night previews and $5 million on its first day, however, and projections were raised to $10-15 million. The film debuted with $12 million, finishing third behind Madea's Family Reunion and Eight Below. At the time, Entertainment Tonight exclusively reported that Marvel was fast-tracking a spin-off and possibly aiming at a trilogy. In its second weekend, the film grossed $10 million, falling to fourth, and in its third weekend, the film grossed $6 million, ranking fifth. The film closed out its domestic run with $34 million, which The Hollywood Reporter called a success.

Critical response
On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 63% based on 274 reviews, with an average rating of 6/10. The site's consensus reads, "A muddled script can't stop Ultimate Avengers from being an animated dazzler that reinforces a strong voice cast." On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 60 out of 100, indicating "mixed or average reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B" on a scale of A+ to F.