RECORDS SNAPPED
‘ENDGAME’ SHATTERS BOX OFFICE TOTALS
It’s something to Marvel at.
After 11 years and 21 previous entries in the Marvel Cinematic Universe franchise, “Avengers: Endgame” not only vanquished its MCU predecessors, it had the best opening weekend in Hollywood history.
“Avengers: Endgame” obliterated presale records and was set to gross more than $1.2 billion worldwide in its first weekend and $350 million domestically.
The previous record holder was last year’s “Avengers: Infinity War,” which made $641 million worldwide in its opening weekend and $257 million domestically, according to boxofficemojo.com.
Screenings across the city of “Avengers: Endgame” started about every 30 minutes beginning Friday morning — and New Yorkers were ready for the epic movie and its colossal running time.
Lined up outside Cinepolis Chelsea on W. 23rd St. Sunday, Miguel Roman wasn’t concerned about the 181 minutes he’d be spending with his favorite superhero characters — and didn’t appear to have consulted one of the internet’s many guides on when to take a bathroom break andnot miss anything superimportant.
“Everyone’s telling me to be careful about how much liquids to consume before the movie starts,” said Roman, 32, of Jersey City, who said he watched all the previous Marvel Cinematic Universe movies within the last year.
“I’ve never had that problem but I just chugged a [large] bubble tea, so we’ll see what happens.”
He and his friend booked their tickets a month ago, and he said he went on “an internet blackout” to avoid spoilers before his Sunday screening.
Yanin Anderson, 40, of Flatbush, Brooklyn, was going to see “Endgame” with her husband and a group of friends. She’s been a Marvel fan since the Marvel Cinematic Universe franchise kicked off in 2008 with “Iron Man.”
“We were like, ‘We’re not going to read anything and just go in and enjoy the movie,’ ” she said, adding that she and her companions were going to eat and probably have a drink but that’s about it.
“I’m currently pregnant so I have to drink something,” she said. “I have an aisle seat because unfortunately I have to go to the bathroom [often].”
Jessie Chen, 28, of Bushwick, Brooklyn, and her friend Edana Ng, 28, of the East Village, went together to see the movie.
“I liked it. I feel like I need to go back and watch it again,” Chen said. “It didn’t feel too long either.”
“I think it tied everything that happened in the previous Marvel movies,” Ng said. “It gave them closure.”
“We cried,” said Chen. “Not for just one scene but for different things that were happening throughout the movie.”
“Avengers: Endgame” might well end up as the highest-grossing film of all time, which would continue the trend of big blockbusters having equally outsize running times.
James Cameron’s “Avatar,” released in 2009 and the current No. 1 box-office champ, made close to $2.8 billion worldwide at a bladderstretching 161 minutes long.
Cameron’s previous feature film, 1997’s “Titanic,” made $2.1 billion at an even longer 195 minutes and held the top spot for 11 years.
Adjusted for inflation, 1939’s “Gone With the Wind” made more than $3.3 billion in today’s dollars and runs a hair over 31⁄2 hours long.