1.842790-4145206879
Actor Chris Evans, from "Captain America", poses for a portrait at the LMT Music Lodge during Comic Con in San Diego on Thursday, July 21, 2011. Image Credit: AP

Captain America: The First Avenger outmuscled its competition at the box office this weekend, including Harry Potter, and had the most forceful opening of any big-budget superhero movie released this summer.

The 3D film, which stars Chris Evans as a puny military reject who is transformed into a superhero via a secret government programme, grossed a solid $65.8 million (Dh241 million) in the US and Canada, according to an estimate from distributor Paramount Pictures.

That was over $10 million more than both X-Men: First Class and Green Lantern collected upon their debuts in June, and just a tad above the $65.7 million opening weekend for Thor in May.

Captain America is scheduled for release in the UAE on September 1.