Rovio: ‘The Angry Birds Movie’ brought in $43M in its opening weekend

Rovio Entertainment has bet the company on “The Angry Birds Movie,” which debuted this weekend in numerous territories and hits the U.S. on May 20. And the Finnish company just announced that the film has grossed $43 million in its opening weekend and hit No. 1 in 37 markets.

Rovio said the film set a record for an original animated film opening during the month of May. The film is just the tip of the spear in Rovio Entertainment‘s gigantic transmedia strategy to cash in on its famous feathered franchise. The film and an accompanying game are integrated with an unprecedented augmented-reality campaign that encourages consumers to scan BirdCodes from the physical world into their smartphone or tablet game and earn power ups that they can use in the digital app. Rovio hopes to get a billion BirdCodes into the hands of consumers in 50 different markets through partnerships with 20 brands, including H&M, McDonald’s, Lego, Walmart, and PEZ.