A record weekend for ‘Avengers’
added, alluding to the MCU practice of teasing future installments after the credits roll.
The film, shot entirely with IMAX cameras, is the No. 1 Marvel debut on that format with an estimated $41 million globally — from $22.5 million in domestic ticket sales and $18.5 million in international receipts, minus China and Russia, the latter of which will launch May 3.
Films taking place in the MCU have now amassed $15.4 billion. Marvel holds six (and parent company Disney holds nine) of the 10 films with the biggest opening weekends of all time.
Marvel, in fact, owns two films in the top five, as “Black Panther,” already a runaway success, benefited from the release of “Infinity War.”
“Panther,” up to No. 5 from the No. 8 spot it held last week, added $4.4 million in ticket sales — the smallest decline of the top 10 at just 11% — for a cumulative $688 million. It’s incredibly rare to have two films from the same franchise in the top 10 simultaneously.
“Superhero fatigue does not exist in the Marvel Cinematic Universe,” said Dergarabedian, citing in particular the staying power of “Black Panther.”
“It’s amazing that ‘Black Panther’ enjoyed a boost in its box office fortunes as the halo effect of ‘Infinity War’ inspired fans to see both movies this weekend,” he added.
“Black Panther” boasts the highest cumulative gross of all the Marvel films, followed by “Marvel’s The Avengers” with $623.3 million in domestic grosses.
“‘Infinity War’ was absolutely a great follow-up to ‘Black Panther,’ which in and of itself has become a cultural phenomenon,” said Hollis. “So the momentum of ‘Black Panther’ actually acted as a bit of a catalyst to some of the success we’re seeing.”
Disney hit the $1-billion mark at the domestic box office faster than any studio ever, aided in no small part by “Black Panther” and now “Infinity War,” as well as “A Wrinkle in Time“and 2017 holdovers such as “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” and “Coco.”
“Infinity War,” which was made for $300 million, unofficially kicks off the summer blockbuster season, with films such as “Deadpool 2,” “Solo,” “Jurassic World” and “The Incredibles 2” all hoping to continue to bring audiences out to theaters.
While those films are all expected to perform well, Marvel is in a league of its own when it comes to box office numbers, Dergarabedian said.
“But there is no better way to kick off a summer than with a hit of this magnitude,” he conceded. “And given the lineup of films yet to be released within the next few weeks, we could be looking at an all-time month of May revenue record. However, the sobering fact is that every movie has to stand on its own merits and deliver the goods or the box office tide could shift.”
In second place, Paramount’s “A Quiet Place,” now in its fourth weekend, added $10.7 million in ticket sales for a cumulative $148.2 million.
Coming in third, STX Entertainment’s Amy Schumer-led comedy “I Feel Pretty,” now in its second weekend, earned $8.1 million for a cumulative $29.6 million.
In fourth place, Warner Bros.’ “Rampage,” now in its third weekend, earned $7.1 million for a cumulative $77.9 million. That film and fellow action picture “Ready Player One” were hit especially hard by “Infinity War’s” box office eclipse; those films are targeted at Marvel’s core demographic of 18-to-34year-old men.
Next week, Electric Entertainment opens the horror thriller “Bad Samaritan,” Pantellion premieres the “Overboard” remake and Focus Features unveils the comedy “Tully.” Magnolia Pictures also drops the documentary “RBG” in limited release.