Avengers: Endgame just had the biggest opening night in box office history
Avengers: Endgame's box office domination is inevitable, and it's already shattering records in the U.S.
The Marvel superhero finale, which wraps up 21 movies worth of films, launched with $60 million in its Thursday night U.S. previews, CNN reports. This is the biggest domestic preview gross of all time, surpassing the $57 million that Star Wars: The Force Awakens earned during its first night of showings in 2015. Endgame also soared way past the $39 million that Avengers: Infinity War took in on its Thursday night opening in 2018.
This $60 million figure comes from screenings that began in the U.S. on Thursday evening, and it will be added to Friday's gross for a final opening day total that Deadline writes could be up to $140 million. This would give Endgame the best opening day in the U.S. ever, easily beating Star Wars: The Force Awakens' $119 million.
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Endgame is virtually assured of setting a new record for the biggest opening weekend of all time, passing the current record-holder, Avengers: Infinity War, which opened to $257 million. It may gross between $270 million and $300 million, notes The Hollywood Reporter, with Deadline writing that the film hitting $300 million is now "likely." Only six films in history have had an opening weekend gross of more than $200 million.
Thanks to its record-breaking opening in China, Endgame has already grossed more than $300 million worldwide, and it could be looking at a historic $1 billion global debut.
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Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.
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