Avengers: Endgame is projected to shatter the all-time worldwide opening weekend record by bringing in more than $800 million in its debut. The Marvel Cinematic Universe had humble beginnings in the early days of Phase 1, but the franchise’s profile grew exponentially after the original Avengers came out in 2012. That film grossed $1.5 billion at the box office and firmly established the MCU as one of today’s premier movie properties. In the seven years since, Marvel has only grown in prominence, successfully making hit films out of obscure and second-tier characters like the Guardians of the Galaxy and Ant-Man.
With the release of Captain Marvel earlier this month, the MCU is now past the $18 billion mark globally and that figure will substantially rise in the next month. April sees the premiere of Avengers: Endgame, sequel to the $2 billion smash Infinity War. Already, Endgame is tracking to break domestic box office records in its first three days, and it also looks like it’ll be rewriting the worldwide history books.
Related: Every Superhero Movie Captain Marvel Has Made More Money Than
According to Deadline, Endgame conceivably could gross as much as $840 million worldwide in its first weekend. This would be a nearly $200 million increase from the current record, which is Infinity War’s $640.5 million. Of course, there’s still time for the estimates to change, but Endgame is looking at a sizable haul.
The reasoning for the large discrepancy between the two movies boils down to their respective Chinese releases. Infinity War premiered in the Middle Kingdom on May 11, 2018, while Endgame opens in China on April 24, 2019. This means whatever Endgame makes in China will count towards the film’s worldwide opening weekend. Infinity War earned roughly $191 million in its Chinese debut, so if Endgame performs similarly, it should soar past the $800 million mark. There’s a chance it earns more than Infinity War in most territories, seeing that this is the conclusion of the 22-film Infinity Saga and audiences all around the globe are eager to see what happens. Marvel’s been incredibly secretive during the marketing campaign, which has only added to the demand to watch the movie.
It goes without saying Endgame is going to be one of 2019’s biggest commercial hits; the only drama that remains is how much it will make in its first few days. If there’s anything working against it at this juncture, it’s that the 3-hour runtime means there will be fewer screenings daily, but that shouldn’t have too much of a negative impact on its box office haul. This is the cinematic event of the spring/summer, and moviegoers won’t want to miss out. There’s no telling how high Endgame will go, but Marvel and Disney are set to reap the benefits of a decade’s worth of hard work.
More: Endgame Story Timeline & Trailer Scenes In Order
Key Release Dates
The Avengers 4
Release Date:2019-04-26
spider-man homecoming 2
Release Date:2019-07-02
