At the end of Avengers: Infinity War, Thanos destroys half of all life in the universe with a snap of his fingers. That film’s sequel, Avengers: Endgame, just obliterated every box office record in existence almost as quickly.
The culmination of Marvel’s decade-long, 22-film cinematic universe, Avengers: Endgame was always going to be a massive blockbuster. But the ease with which the superhero film has made box office history has surprised even the most optimistic of analysts. The film made an unfathomable $1.2 billion worldwide in its first weekend, shattering the opening total of its predecessor, Infinity War ($640 million), like a mighty swing of Thor’s hammer to one of Thanos’s alien minions.
Endgame‘s $1.2 billion opening is just one of many records that won’t be broken any time soon—if ever. Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker could pose a threat to some of the Marvel superhero movie’s accomplishments, but either way, Disney is thrilled, as it owns both Marvel and the Star Wars production company, Lucasfilm.
| Record | Total | Previous record holder |
|---|---|---|
| Biggest global opening weekend gross | $1.2 billion | Avengers: Infinity War ($640 million) |
| Biggest international (non-US) opening weekend gross | $859 million | The Fate of the Furious ($443 million) |
| Biggest US opening weekend gross | $350 million | Avengers: Infinity War ($257 million) |
| Biggest 3D opening weekend gross | $540 million | Avengers: Infinity War ($366 million) |
| Biggest IMAX opening weekend gross | $91.5 million | Avengers: Infinity War (48 million) |
| Biggest opening weekend gross adjusted for inflation | 38.8 million tickets sold | Star Wars: The Force Awakens (28.5 million tickets sold) |
| Biggest weekend per-theater average | $75,000 | Star Wars: The Force Awakens ($60,000) |
| Biggest opening day gross | $157 million | Star Wars: The Force Awakens ($119 million) |
| Biggest weekend market share | 90% | Avengers: Age of Ultron (85%) |
| Fastest to $100 million | 17 hours | Star Wars: The Force Awakens (21 hours) |
| Fastest to $350 million | 3 days | Star Wars: The Force Awakens (6 days) |
| Fastest to $1 billion | 5 days | Avengers: Infinity War (11 days) |
| Fastest to the realization that we all live in a dystopian monoculture run by one impossibly powerful corporation | Far too quickly | All the other Avengers movies |
For perspective, the $1.2 billion Endgame made in its first three days already puts the film 18th on the list of highest-grossing films ever, ahead of films such as Aquaman, The Dark Knight Rises, and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. When all is said and done, Endgame will likely pass the $2 billion mark worldwide and could threaten Titanic for the honor of the second highest-grossing film of all time.
Despite its mammoth success, Endgame is still unlikely to catch up to the $2.7 billion mark set by James Cameron’s Avatar in 2009. There’s always next year, Disney.