Avengers: Endgame has obliterated worldwide, overseas and domestic records, hammering home an $859 million start at the international box office for an astounding $1.2 billion global launch.
It is the first movie ever to surpass $1 billion worldwide in its debut, reaching the milestone in just five days.
In just a single weekend, this reckoning with Thanos becomes the No. 18 film on the all-time global charts, leapfrogging Captain America: Civil War and the recent Captain Marvel.
Endgame‘s massive bow also puts the collective total of the 22 Marvel films released to date at $19.9 billion global.
Through Friday, the Anthony and Joe Russo-helmed Endgame had already logged the biggest global and international openings ever.
The previous record holder for a worldwide launch was Avengers: Infinity War at $640M and without China in the opening suite.
Endgame is now Marvel and Disney’s 2nd billion-dollar release of 2019 (alongside Captain Marvel which itself has benefited from the Endgame effect), and Marvel’s 8th billion dollar film ever.
While the industry always expected Endgame to have a stratospheric, record-busting launch, last week folks were cautious about predicting a $1 billion global opening (the extra runtime, China not having a full non-workday weekend, etc).
However, as early offshore play, including China, coupled with North America’s amazing trajectory, signs began to point to this 22nd Marvel pic coming in above $800 million overseas and getting close to $1.2 billion for worldwide.
Ultimately, Endgame, which had exhibitors keeping the lights on around the clock in many hubs, scored the highest opening weekend in industry history in 44 overseas markets.
Included in that is China which posted an estimated debut of $330.5 million over five days, the biggest local or Western film bow ever.
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Cathleen Taff, Disney’s President of Theatrical Distribution, Franchise Management and Business & Audience Insights, told Deadline, “We’re ecstatic” and also “floored and amazed by the response from fans around the world.”
Endgame’s opening is not just about a number, says Taff, but the word of mouth that has propelled the record weekend.
She cites the “can’t-miss factor” for the “ultimate culmination of this franchise that the Marvel team has been building for a decade now.”
In IMAX, Endgame, which is the second film in history to be shot entirely with its cameras, smashed the format’s all-time worldwide opening record with $91.5M.
That tops the global IMAX debut of Star Wars: The Force Awakens by 92%.
In 3D, this is the top global launch ever with an estimated $540M of the total in the format.