For years, it was something of a joke to say that someone or something made “a bajillion dollars.” But it’s not a joke for Avengers: Endgame. They really did make a bajillion dollars in their “opening weekend,” which was really a five-day weekend release scheme. To be even more specific, Marvel’s finale made $1.2 billion in its opening, which blows away every single record ever held by any film previously. It’s not just a matter of breaking records by a few million here or there – Endgame made box office history by hundreds of millions of dollars.
To say Avengers: Endgame made history in its box office bow is an understatement. The superhero tentpole opened to $350 million in North America and $859 million overseas for a stunning global launch of $1.2 billion, including $330.5 million in China. All are records — and then some — in yet another victory for Disney and Marvel Studios.
Furthermore, weekend revenue for all films domestically clocked in at more than $397 million, an unprecedented sum. Until now, the most ever collected in one weekend was $314 million. Endgame set a new threshold for just how much the market can expand, as well as kicking off the summer season in high style following a tough winter and early spring.
The Russo brothers shot Endgame back-to-back with last year’s Avengers: Infinity War, the previous record-holder for biggest global opening ($640.5 million) and top domestic debut ($257.6 million), not adjusted for inflation. Endgame had the advantage of opening day-and-date in China, unlike Infinity War. Infinity War, which took 11 days to hit $1 billion, versus five for Endgame, topped out at $2.04 billion globally. The guessing game has already begun as to whether Endgame can climb north of $2.5 billion and match or topple Avatar, the top-grossing film of all time with $2.78 billion, not adjusted for inflation.
LOL, “will Endgame topple Avatar?” yes it will. It made $1.2 billion in five days. It will probably be up to $3 billion in maybe another week or two, let’s be real. I saw some headlines which made me roll my eyes so hard though – stuff about “who knew audiences liked resolutions?” Yes, Hollywood, we like resolutions. We don’t want you to just keeping making the same old cliffhanger sh-t year after year. Eventually we have to put a bow on things, and studios would be smart to understand that it’s better to end sh-t on their own terms rather than wait until they’ve exhausted their properties.
Photos courtesy of WENN.
I’m hoping Endgame does top Avatar. James “ superhero movies are dumb” Cameron’s head will explode if it dos.
Gosh, I STILL haven’t seen Avatar!
Nor have I. Haven’t seen Titanic either. I think Terminator may be my only James C. film.
I did because the BF made me see it and to be honest, I didn’t even like it. However, I loved Endgame and saw it opening weekend, and plan to go again he he he
enjoyed the movie, and I have no complaints about my fave, Tony Stark. might have some issues with inconsistencies and slightly out of character characters, but overall wasnt too disappointed for a movie that received much pressure from high expectations
It’s a rather flawed film (disliked many choices they made), but the last hour is perfection, and it alone is woth the price of admission.
I came away with the same feeling
It’s actually less certain than you might imagine that it passes Avatar (and Force Awakens domestically). We will know this coming weekend because it’s all about legs. People rushed to see this. The test will be how many are left to see it and how many repeat. It will be interesting.
I have quibbles, but they seem small given how well this wrapped things up. It should have been a disaster, instead it was great entertainment. RDJ was TREMENDOUS, I think we forget how great he can be.
I don’t understand how Avatar made all those money though I remember the hype. Was it the CGI gimmicks? Watching paint dry is more entertaining.
It’s hard to remember now and believe me I’m no fan of that movie from a story/character perspective, but at the time it was truly a visual masterpiece. 3D was not a thing, and that level of visual immersion was not a thing. It became something you had to see so it attracted people who don’t really go to the movies. It’s opening weekend was under $100 million but it just kept rolling. It was about that experience more than anything else I think.
It was also an unprecedented international success which I can’t really speak to (a lot of what becomes successful in other countries mystifies me, but to each their own).
The movie was visually stunning. The storyline and characters were completely forgettable, but it was a feat of CGI for the time. I think it just managed to hit at just the right time with just the right look, and lacking serious competition, it made it big. It is, however, one of my most favorite stories of bizarre pop culture phenomena because it’s success is so remarkably transient. It made billions, yet had nearly no lasting impact on the cultural theatre. Most people couldn’t name a single character from the movie despite seeing it. There’s no lasting jokes, parodies, or references that have made it into media like the other top ten films. When most people say “Avatar,” they’re thinking of the hit cartoon series, not the movie. It has no real legacy, hence why there haven’t been successful sequels. Just hilariously random all around.
@sally I believe a lot of the Avatar money came from all of the 3D / imax type showings, which charge more per ticket. Now that I think about it, Endgame or at least the last half, would be cool to watch in 3D.
@veronica That is exactly it. I cannot tell you a thing about Avatar’s plot but I do remember splurging on the 3D tickets and being stunned by the visual effects. I felt they wanted to show off the technical achievements, and the storyline was just an afterthought.
Going to see it tomorrow morning 9a.m. show. Not drinking a thing after midnight. LOL
If you have to go to the bathroom, go when Hulk is having lunch OR when the New Jersey title card comes up. Do not leave the theatre in the last hour!
Buzzfeed has a nice little post about the best times to go to the restroom during Avengers. I used it, but would not recommend going during their last suggestion.
It’s not a bad movie – even if I didn’t like the ending – but it’s a bit overlong. Bring snacks and plan for a loo break 😉
But of course it was going to make cubic tons of money: I only watched the first IM and the first Avengers – I like DC comics and movies better – and I still went to the movies to see this ending. I went because I knew it was the end and you kinda want to know how the story ends. They worked consistently for ten years for this payoff, they can take the money and the victory lap deservedly.
I just remember at one point all this hope and triumph fill my body. I haven’t had that moment in a theater in forever. It’s not a perfect movie, but it was a grand conclusion.
I got chills. Like legitimate chills watching (I assume the same part you’re thinking of).
I laughed over parts. I sobbed over parts. I really really enjoyed it.
I got it twice in a week! Endgame and then GOT!
I’m not surprised it broke the records, but I’m surprised it broke the records by SO MUCH. 100 million more in the US alone than Infinity War?? And while comparisons to Avatar are going to be off, since you have to account for inflation, comparisons to Infinity War are pretty accurate, since that was just a year ago. That’s insane. Good for Marvel, lol.
We saw it last night.
Loved it!
RDJ is awesome.
Thor was my favorite!
RDJ’s acting was superb. Scarlett was wonderful too. Mark has been hammying up since AOU which is too bad because his performance in the original Avengers movie remains a highlight.
Of course it broke records. It was on 5000 screens in the US alone. What else were you gonna see.
But the movie itself is 3 hours long, not including theater clean up and trailers. That limits the number of times it can be shown in those 5000 theaters 🙂
But theater’s started screenings early and also ran late. Some past a midnight showing.
Endgame was completely worth my $220 investment (price-of-admission over 22 films). So much payoff for so many character arcs and for the audience. And that thing that happened for 3 seconds in the 3rd hour that was foreshadowed in Ultron and the whole theatre screamed in triumph? Yup, waterworks. So, so good.
I am trying to think which particular moment you mean and it is driving me nuts! Ha ha ha
I’m going to try and do this spoiler free for you…..Remember in the After-Party scene in Ultron when most of the gang have a go on Thor’s hammer? Now think about what happens in the final battle.
You had to see it in the first three days before you got spoiled to smithereens. I must say, it felt like a good old fashioned crossover comic book event that you used to have back in the 1990s. It was brilliant in that way. There were a couple things I side eyed, but overall, satisfaction all around.
@duchess, yes, this is an important point! Normally we would wait to have seen it but we went opening night to avoid the spoilers! And it is a good thing that we did, they were all over social media the next day. Just about every comment section on the internet had people posting random spoilers in articles that had nothing to do with Avengers. Very aggravating.
So I have to start by saying I loved the movie. But, what did everyone think about Black Widow’s arc? I thought it was a pathetic waste and an easy solution for a character they never developed to her full potential
I don’t think her arc had the emotional impact they wanted unless the viewer was a big Black Widow fan. I was just kinda like “oh, ok.”
So disappointed in her arc and how they handled her story. It was unemotional and not felt inconsequential. Made her feel like a minor character.
yes exactly! That’s how I felt. It didn’t feel like the sendoff the other OG 6 got.
I wonder if people could feel different after her solo movie, if rewatching this will make a bigger impact?
I had the complete opposite reaction to all of you about Black Widow, and I’m not a Black Widow fan. Nat sacrificing herself to save everyone else, and her interactions with Hawkeye during those scenes (they both love each other so much that the death of the other would be enough to get the soul stone, it made me care more about both of them), made me care more about her than I ever have in the past movies. Like, I may actually watch her solo movie now, whereas before I couldn’t care less.
I saw it yesterday — really not sure how I feel about it. It was a good conclusion, but didn’t have the same emotional weight that Infinity War had for me. The entire first half seemed like an Avengers movie circa 2012 in tone, not a grand follow up to what Infinity War left us with. I guess it somewhat depends on your character preferences and stuff whether this really hit you, but I didn’t think some of the things that happened in Infinity War received the emotional payoff they deserved in Endgame. There were parts I loved (the entire last hour was fantastic), but on a whole, I’m just not sure it was a complementary piece to IW or everything I wanted a 22-film finale to be. I feel like they should’ve spent more time wrapping things up in a satisfactory way post-Big Thing That Happens at the End, instead of taking so much time in the beginning to talk logistics and getting the band back together.
It was kinda like Return of the Jedi after Empire Strikes Back. A fitting finale, but not as enthralling as its predecessor.
I much prefer Endgame because my favorite character gets a much bigger and more interesting arc in this film. Endgame had all of the payoffs I’ve been waiting years for, for my favorite character, so I like it much better than Infinity War. Heck, Endgame even made me care about Tony Stark, whom I’ve never really liked. Although I do think some storylines didn’t fully make sense with their wrap up.
I think it very much depends on what characters you like most whether you prefer Infinity War or Endgame, definitely. To be honest, the original six were never my favorites — I love Loki and the Guardians, and have more interest in some of the newer Avengers like Spider-Man, Wanda, Vision, and Doctor Strange, so naturally I was more emotionally invested in Infinity War. I always knew there was a chance I wouldn’t be quite as interested in this one purely because of who was left post-Snap.
Death of the Art House Revolution: Can the Americanized West Ever Stage a Real Rebellion?
https://www.counterpunch.org/2019/04/29/death-of-the-art-house-revolution-can-the-americanized-west-ever-stage-a-real-rebellion/
That article lost me the second the author suggested that Bernie Sanders is some kind of real life savior. Bernie bros are part of the reason we’re in this mess.
The ‘second’ you hear something you disaagree with your mind closes? You sound very intolerant.
I took my daughter to watch as we loved Infinity War and have watched it numerous times. End Game left us both sleepy and anxious wanting and needing more and it never came for us The story line was drawn out with parts that didnt make sense. Then there was Thor looking frumpy, the Hulk ridiculous and no Dr. Strange until the very end. So disappointed. Just my opinion, no reason to attack. We will watch Infinty War over and over again, my ass says no watching End Game for a second time.