To the surprise of no one, Avengers: Endgame is already breaking records at the box office — and it’s only been in theaters one night.
The sequel to Avengers: Infinity War arrived in theaters Thursday, April 25, and made $60 million at the domestic box office from those “preview night” screenings. The mark set by Avengers: Endgame broke the record held by 2015’s Star Wars: The Force Awakens, which raked in $57 million on its opening night.
It also eclipsed the mark set by Infinity War, which made $39 million on its opening night and then went on to set a new opening weekend record with a $258 million premiere over the next three days. At its current rate, Endgame is likely to demolish the opening weekend of Infinity War, and will very likely set a host of other records, too.
A hit with professional critics and general audiences, Avengers: Endgame is currently predicted to make more than $260 million in U.S. theaters over the course of its opening weekend. It’s also expected to generate more than $800 million in worldwide ticket sales. At this point, there’s even indication that it could bring in more than $300 million domestically for its debut — a number that seemed inconceivable for a film’s opening weekend not too long ago.
Avengers: Endgame picks up where Infinity War left off, and brings together the surviving heroes of Marvel’s cinematic universe in the aftermath of Thanos’ attack on Earth, which made half the living creatures in the universe disappear in a cloud of dust. The trauma of that experience has left Marvel’s heroes reeling — and some in dire circumstances — but one last opportunity to set things right presents itself.
The three-hour film is the final chapter in Marvel’s “Infinity Saga,” which encompasses 22 films (including Endgame) over 11 years, and the first three phases of Marvel’s film franchise.
Endgame premiered internationally Wednesday, and has made more than $305 million so far worldwide. It became clear that Endgame was going to have a record-breaking run when Fandango reported that the film broke the record for ticket presales by a wide margin, with theaters in many locations selling out for the entire weekend in the first few hours that tickets were available.
