Avengers: Infinity War kicked off the summer movie season, giving Walt Disney Co. the largest North American and global debuts in history.
Infinity War took in a record $640.9 million worldwide, the studio said Monday. About $258 million of that was collected in U.S. and Canadian theaters, beating independent forecasts of about $230 million. The blockbuster film also earned $382.7 million overseas, where it has opened almost everywhere worldwide.
The film's success was driven by a decadelong buildup of movies and comic stories from the Marvel franchise, as well as being able to open earlier than usual for a summer movie. A marketing campaign to avoid spoilers also drove the high attendance levels.
"They've created stakes because of how much people care for these characters and the worlds that they inhabit, and having brought them all together, that made this a can't-miss, must-see-it on opening weekend, must-see-it-in-a-movie-theater kind of experience," said Dave Hollis, president of worldwide theatrical distribution for Disney.
The global record is notable because the movie hasn't opened in China yet, the second biggest market, where it debuts May 11. Hollis said the franchise has a strong record in China, giving the studio "tremendous self confidence" in the movie's performance there.
Opening in more than 4,470 North American theaters, Infinity War marks the widest debut for a film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, according to researcher Box Office Mojo. Rivals avoided the weekend, meaning the Marvel superhero mash up faced no competition from other new releases. The film's success benefited from a date change that let it debut worldwide simultaneously -- a first for Disney's Marvel movies.
By any measure, the 2-hour-and-40 minute-long Infinity War is one of the largest films ever assembled. With a production budget reportedly almost $300 million, Joe and Anthony Russo's film brings together the stars of Marvel's superhero stable, including Robert Downey Jr.'s Iron Man, Chris Hemsworth's Thor, Chadwick Boseman's Black Panther, Chris Evans' Captain America, Mark Ruffalo's Hulk, and many more.
It was shot over 18 months back-to-back with a sequel due out next summer. Marvel spent years laying the groundwork for the big showdown, teasing its villain (Josh Brolin's Thanos) since 2014. The result earned positive reviews (84 percent fresh on Rotten Tomatoes) and an A CinemaScore from audiences. All but one of Marvel's 19 cinematic universe releases has scored an A CinemaScore.
As if to further stamp its pronounced enormity, Infinity War was also the first film shot entirely with IMAX cameras. (Christopher Nolan's Dunkirk was mostly shot on IMAX.) IMAX screenings accounted for a record $41 million of last weekend's global ticket sales. Greg Foster, head of entertainment for IMAX Corp, said the success of Marvel stands apart from Hollywood's other mega franchises.
"This isn't something that their parents saw. This isn't an old franchise that their parents saw when they were 20," Foster said. "This is theirs. The Marvel universe is the group of characters that this generation owns."
No new wide releases dared to compete with Infinity War, which played at 4,474 theaters in North America. In a very distant second place was John Krasinski's A Quiet Place with $11 million in its fourth week. With $148.5 million in total ticket sales, the Paramount Pictures thriller had topped the box office three of the last four weekends.
Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst for comScore, credited Marvel with the potent lead-up to Infinity Wars with Spider-Man: Homecoming, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Thor: Ragnarok and Black Panther -- all successful and well-reviewed entries.
"This brought the world together this weekend," Dergarabedian said. "That's what these movies do: They remind us why we love going to the movie theater. A movie like this shows the singular and unique experience of going into a movie theater."
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
The top 20 movies at U.S. and Canadian theaters Friday through Sunday, followed by distribution studio, gross, number of theater locations, average receipts per location, total gross and number of weeks in release, as compiled Monday by comScore:
Avengers: Infinity War, Disney, $257,698,183, 4,474 locations, $57,599 average, $257,698,183, 1 Week.
A Quiet Place, Paramount, $11,004,977, 3,565 locations, $3,087 average, $148,528,278, 4 Weeks.
I Feel Pretty, STX Entertainment, $8,176,757, 3,440 locations, $2,377 average, $29,620,318, 2 Weeks.
Rampage, Warner Bros., $7,205,315, 3,508 locations, $2,054 average, $78,030,872, 3 Weeks.
Black Panther, Disney, $4,736,428, 1,650 locations, $2,871 average, $688,364,917, 11 Weeks.
Super Troopers 2, 20th Century Fox, $3,729,287, 2,125 locations, $1,755 average, $22,214,216, 2 Weeks.
Truth or Dare, Universal, $3,268,145, 2,420 locations, $1,350 average, $35,374,140, 3 Weeks.
Blockers, Universal, $2,975,260, 2,324 locations, $1,280 average, $53,246,750, 4 Weeks.
Ready Player One, Warner Bros., $2,563,325, 2,365 locations, $1,084 average, $130,811,543, 5 Weeks.
Traffik, Lionsgate, $1,654,694, 1,046 locations, $1,582 average, $6,786,968, 2 Weeks.
Isle of Dogs, Fox Searchlight, $1,427,275, 1,001 locations, $1,426 average, $27,047,998, 6 Weeks.
MET Opera: Cendrillon (2018), Fathom Events, $1,300,000, 900 locations, $1,444 average, $1,300,000, 1 Week.
A Wrinkle in Time, Disney, $981,856, 371 locations, $2,647 average, $94,930,902, 8 Weeks.
I Can Only Imagine, Roadside Attractions, $777,709, 970 locations, $802 average, $81,084,294, 7 Weeks.
Chappaquiddick, Entertainment Studios Motion Pictures, $694,989, 704 locations, $987 average, $15,808,830, 4 Weeks.
Sherlock Gnomes, Paramount, $673,943, 731 locations, $922 average, $40,637,943, 6 Weeks.
Acrimony, Lionsgate, $640,477, 540 locations, $1,186 average, $42,223,020, 5 Weeks.
Bharat Ane Nenu, Great India Films, $366,996, 189 locations, $1,942 average, $3,156,805, 2 Weeks.
You Were Never Really Here, Amazon Studios, $350,105, 233 locations, $1,503 average, $1,793,481, 4 Weeks.
The Miracle Season, MIRR/LD, $290,939, 430 locations, $677 average, $9,441,585, 4 Weeks.
MovieStyle on 05/04/2018