Avengers’ Endgame breaks record with $1.2 billion opening

Groundbreaking movie, The Avengers has shattered box office records with a $1.2 billion global debut, another huge milestone for Hollywood as a whole.

Avengers: Endgame, which closes out the star-studded Marvel/Disney Avengers movie series, hauled in over $350 million (£271 million) in North America alone after breaking preview records on Thursday night (25Apr19), and it is now on track to become the biggest film of all time, set to beat out Avatar and Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

Endgame crushed the U.S. box office record set by its predecessor, Avengers: Infinity War, which opened with $250 million (£193.5 million) domestically last year (18) and almost doubled The Fate of the Furious’ overseas opening weekend record of $443 million (£343 million), with a staggering $859 million (£665 million) haul, including a $330 million (£255.5 million) opening weekend in China.

The blockbuster also shattered opening day records in America, adding almost $30 million (£23.3 million) to Star Wars: The Force Awakens‘ $129 million (£99.9 million) first Friday record.

Thrilled Disney Studios chairman Alan Horn has released a statement congratulating Marvel boss Kevin Feige on the success of the final Avengers film.

“Kevin Feige and the Marvel Studios team have continued to challenge notions of what is possible at the movie theatre both in terms of storytelling and at the box office,” he says. “Though Endgame is far from an end for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, these first 22 films constitute a sprawling achievement, and this weekend’s monumental success is a testament to the world they’ve envisioned, the talent involved, and their collective passion, matched by the irrepressible enthusiasm of fans around the world.”

Avengers character Captain Marvel’s stand-alone movie had another healthy weekend at the U.S. box office, taking its total eight-week tally to $414 million (£320.5 million), while horror tale La Llorona comes in at three.

Faith-based family film Breakthrough, about a real-life miracle, and Shazam! round out the new top five, while Little, Dumbo, Pet Sematary, Us, and nature documentary Penguins complete the new top 10.