‘Avengers’ makes UAE record
Marvel’s ‘Avengers: Infinity War’ will receive the widest release for a film ever in the country
It comes as no surprise that everything the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) has created over the past 10 years has led up to this very moment, when 22 superheroes assemble to wage war on the box office and set in motion a new pre-sales record in the UAE.
The much awaited Avengers: Infinity War,
which hits 200 plus screens in the country tomorrow, has already smashed previous box office records in the country without once wielding Thor’s mighty hammer to tip the scales
in its favour, according to Middle East distributor Italia Film.
“The widest release of a film in the UAE averages 170 screens, which was commanded by The Fate of The Furious
[the eighth instalment in the franchise] when it released in cinemas last year,” revealed a spokesperson from Italia Film to tabloid!. “In comparison,
Infinity War’s release easily crosses 200 screens, with a final count only confirmed a day ahead of its release.”
According to the distributor, ticket pre-sales for the Walt Disney Studios release have already crossed 14,000 in the first five weeks since the box office opened for the superhero action-adventure.
But, industry insiders say, the final tally usually comes in 48 hours before a film’s release in the UAE on Thursdays.
“If you compare The
Fate of the Furious, which holds the record for ticket pre-sales in the UAE, the film sold shy of 5,000 tickets in the first five weeks, compared to the 14,000 that Avengers: Infinity War sold over the same period,” revealed Italia Film. “The final push for the
Fast and Furious franchise came about in week six, two days before it went on general release, selling 19 per cent of its overall tally on the Tuesday, while 36 per cent was sold over Wednesday. The final presale figure reached 31,000 tickets overall.”
The spokesperson continued: “We expect that same level of acceleration with the new Avengers.
The first five days of week six has already reached 21,000 in pre-sales.
If we follow the same trend, between Tuesday and Wednesday, this number will rise contributing to 55 to 60 per cent of overall pre-sales.”
Local exhibitor Novo Cinemas has already stated it is bracing itself for a ‘bumper weekend’ across all of its locations.
Novo said the film has already sold thousands of advanced tickets to film fans across the region, without revealing a final tally. Large-scale screenings of the franchise continues to be a top draw considering Avengers: Infinity War has been shot entirely using IMAX cameras, it added.
The global fan frenzy for the Marvel film is also poised to outrun Black
Panther, with US-based mobile-ticketing platform Fandango stating last week that Avengers:
Infinity War was outselling the past MCU seven movies combined in pre-sale tickets.
With its American release date a day after the UAE, the superhero outing is already on track to gross as much as $200 million (Dh734.47 million) in the US, according to early industry projections.
Fandango further stated that Avengers: Infinity
War sold more than twice what Black Panther — the year’s highest-grossing movie — was at the same point before release.
Meanwhile, India is also expecting a bumper opening for the Marvel franchise, fuelled by the fact that no big Bollywood film is scheduled for release weekend, what with Rajinikanth’s Kaala now deferred to June from its original Friday outing.
Adding to its box office tally in India is the fact that Avengers: Infinity
War is releasing in English, Hindi, Tamil and Telugu.
According to industry numbers, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has grossed $14.8 billion globally before adjusting for inflation.