LOS ANGELES - "The Avengers" is taking a page out of Superman's comic book -- flying faster than a speeding bullet to the billion-dollar mark at the box office.

The superhero blockbuster took in $103.2 million to lead for a second straight weekend, raising its worldwide haul to just over $1 billion, only 19 days after it began rolling out in some markets.

"The Avengers" easily fended off Johnny Depp and Tim Burton's vampire romp "Dark Shadows," which had a so-so domestic start of $28.8 million.

"The Avengers" was the first movie to pull in more than $100 million domestically in its second weekend, passing the previous best of $75.6 million for "Avatar."

A round-up of such Marvel idols as Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), the Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), Captain America (Chris Evans) and Thor (Chris Hemsworth), "The Avengers" has shot past the revenues that its solo superhero predecessors took in for their entire runs.

Inspired by the supernatural soap opera that debuted on TV in the mid-1960s, "Dark Shadows" stars Depp as an 18th-century vampire who is freed after two centuries of burial and returns to his ancestral homestead in the 1970s, aiming to rebuild the family fortunes.

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday:

1. "The Avengers," $103.2 million.

2. "Dark Shadows," $28.8 million.

3. "Think Like a Man," $6.3 million.

4. "The Hunger Games," $4.4 million.

5. "The Lucky One," $4.1 million.

6. "The Pirates! Band of Misfits," $3.2 million.

7. "The Five-Year Engagement," $3.1 million.

8. "The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel," $2.7 million.

9. "Chimpanzee," $1.6 million.

10. "Girl in Progress," $1.4 million.

ASSOCIATED PRESS