We’re seeing history being made this weekend with the release of Marvel’s superhero epic Avengers: Endgame, which is set to smash the record for the biggest opening in history and – potentially – become the first movie to gross $1 billion or more during its first weekend.
The comic book blockbuster kicked off its run in China and several other markets on Wednesday, grossing $169 million, and it’s now being reported that the international box office added a further $136 million on Thursday to push its two-day international haul to $305 million.
Throw in a bumper $60 million from North American Thursday previews ($3 million ahead of the previous record set by Star Wars: The Force Awakens in 2015), and Endgame is already on $365 million.
In the MCU, only Avengers: Infinity War ($640.5 million), Captain Marvel ($456.7 million), The Avengers ($392.5 million), Avengers: Age of Ultron ($392.5 million), Captain America: Civil War ($379.5 million), Iron Man 3 ($372.5 million) and Black Panther ($371.4 million) have enjoyed bigger opening weekends – and that’s before Endgame even hits the main Friday-Saturday-Sunday period.
Last year’s Avengers: Infinity War currently holds the record for the biggest ever global opening, but Endgame is likely to surpass that some time on Saturday as it continues to break records left, right and centre.
Avengers: Endgame stars Robert Downey Jr. (Iron Man), Chris Evans (Captain America), Mark Ruffalo (Hulk), Chris Hemsworth (Thor), Scarlett Johansson (Black Widow), Jeremy Renner (Hawkeye), Josh Brolin (Thanos), Brie Larson (Captain Marvel), Paul Rudd (Scott Lang), Don Cheadle (War Machine), Karen Gillan (Nebula), Chadwick Boseman (Black Panther), Tom Holland (Spider-Man), Sebastian Stan (Winter Soldier), Anthony Mackie (Falcon), Elizabeth Olsen (Scarlet Witch), Benedict Cumberbatch (Doctor Strange), Danai Gurira (Okoye), Benedict Wong (Wong), Chris Pratt (Star-Lord), Zoe Saldana (Gamora), Dave Bautista (Drax), Bradley Cooper (Rocket), Vin Diesel (Groot), Karen Gillan (Nebula), Pom Klementieff (Mantis), Tom Hiddleston (Loki), Gwyneth Paltrow (Pepper Potts), Evangeline Lilly (The Wasp), Letitia Wright (Shuri) and Tessa Thompson (Valkyrie).
