Avengers: Infinity War just became the fourth movie in history to break $2 billion at the global box office. It joins an elite class of movies that also includes Star Wars: The Force Awakens, and James Cameron’s Titanic and Avatar.
Disney now has five of the top 10 highest grossing films of all time, not adjusted for inflation. And three are Avengers films.
Infinity War, which debuted on April 27, crossed the $2 billion mark on the 48th day of its release. It took one day longer than Avatar and six fewer days than Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Forbes reported. Titanic, which set records when it premiered in 1997, crossed the $2 billion mark when it was re-released in theaters in 2012, the 100th anniversary of the ship sinking.
Infinity War, the penultimate installment of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s biggest story arc, is also the first summer movie to make it into the $2 billion club, dethroning summer record holder Jurassic World. Summer is the US’s busiest moviegoing season, so it’s littered with tentpole titles from studios eager to capitalize on students being out of school and adults having more time on their hands. The glut makes it challenging for any one film to dominate the box office. Movies released near the end of the year, on the other hand, can have huge runs that stretch into January and February, which are usually wastelands for big films (this year’s Black Panther, notwithstanding). They also benefit from year-end holidays, when many adults around the world take time off from work and students are on holiday.
As the first release of the summer, Infinity War soared quickly. It became the fastest movie to reach $1 billion at the box office, just 11 days after its release.
The bulk of the film’s box office, about 67%, came from overseas. It performed especially well in China, South Korea, and Brazil.