« Avengers: Endgame, » the hugely-anticipated superhero series-ender from Marvel, set a new standard for Hollywood blockbusters this weekend with stunning hauls of $357…
« Avengers: Endgame, » the hugely-anticipated superhero series-ender from Marvel, set a new standard for Hollywood blockbusters this weekend with stunning hauls of $357 million in North America and $1.2 billion worldwide, industry data showed Monday.
The fourth and final chapter in the adventures of Iron Man, Hulk, Thor and company managed 43 times the domestic take of the No. 2 film, Marvel’s « Captain Marvel, » which made $8.3 million.
With a star-studded cast including Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Bradley Cooper and Josh Brolin, it took in a jaw-dropping $330 million in China alone, the highest ever opening in the Middle Kingdom.
With a sky-high 96 percent rating from critics on the Rotten Tomatoes reviews website, « Avengers » could lead to « the biggest revenue-generating summer (and year) in box office history, » Comscore’s Paul Dergarabedian said.
Packed with spectacular fight scenes, special effects, gags and tear-jerking moments, it almost doubled the previous world record opening weekend take held by its predecessor, « Avengers: Infinity War. »
The movie cost around $500 million to make including marketing costs and was expected to break even during its debut weekend, a feat unheard of for a major blockbuster.
Entertainment media are predicting a final global take of up to $2.5 billion, which would give it a place among the most lucrative movies of all time alongside « Avatar » ($2.8 billion), « Titanic » ($2.2 billion), « Star Wars: The Force Awakens » ($2.07 billion), and « Infinity War » ($2.05 billion).
« (The) Marvel Studios team have continued to challenge notions of what is possible at the movie theater, both in terms of storytelling and at the box office, » said Alan Horn, the chairman of Walt Disney Studios, which owns Marvel.
