When Marvel Studios unleashed “Avengers: Infinity†war to the global movie-going audience last year, the film’s conclusion shocked everyone mightily. It also ensured that the fans will wait for the concluding “Avengers†installment, subtitled “Endgame,†with a fevered dedication. When it did premiere last week, it did not fail, both to impress and make bank.
To put it bluntly, it took only opening weekend for “Avengers: Endgame†to break the $1 billion global box-office milestone. Domestically it has grossed $350 million, while overseas it got $640.5 million for a total of $1.2 billion. It took “Endgame†half the time “Infinity War†needed to achieve this.
One helpful factor towards the superhero blockbuster’s early $1B record was the fact that “Endgame†opened early in the global box-office kingmaker, China. From there alone did the film earn $330.5 million, or nearly half the rest of the countries around the world where it has premiered, outside the US.
This momentous occasion was credited by Disney chairman Alan horn to Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige. The highly successful producer had, in Horn’s words, “challenged the notions for what is possible at the movie theater.†The result was a Marvel superhero film that fans everywhere just ate up with gusto.
“Avengers: Endgame†is the penultimate chapter of Phase 3 for the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The franchise has released 22 movies over a 10-year period connected by a shared universe and a sweeping mythic storyline, nearly all of which has been resolved in the movie itself.
Thanks to the positive reception, “Endgame†is now the highest-grossing film of 2019, as well as the 18th highest-grossing movie of all time, though this position might change as the film goes into its cinematic run over the following weeks.