*Surprise! “Avengers: Infinity War” took the box office by storm and no one saw it coming. OK, yes, we know it was a stupid, corny joke. Of course it’s absolutely no surprise that the Marvel mashup movie came in at number one in North American and worldwide.
If you’re counting beans, according to ComScore, “Infinity War” took in a record $630 million worldwide. $250 million of that total came from in U.S. and Canadian theaters, beating independent forecasts of about $230 million. It also gave a boost to Marvel’s other smash that won’t go away, “Black Panther.”
Bloomberg reports that the film’ s success was driven by a decade-long 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, spread with the hashtag #thanosdemandsyoursilence.
“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,” Dave Hollis, president of worldwide theatrical distribution for Disney, said Sunday.
The global record is worth noting simply because the movie has not opened in China yet, the second biggest box office, where it debuts May 11. Hollis said the franchise has a strong track record in China, giving the studio “tremendous self confidence” in the movie’s performance there.
Opening in more than 4,470 North American theaters, “Avengers: 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.
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What’s also notable is that Marvel’s “Black Panther” just refuses to die and got an “Avengers” bump, earning $1.274 million (+4%) on its 11th Friday for a new cume of $684.9m, reports Forbes. That means it has passed the inflation-adjusted domestic total of “The Dark Knight” and will pass the inflation-adjusted total of “Thunderball” as well. After 11 weeks(!), “Black Panther” is still in theaters and is still in the top 5 at the box office. Wakanda Forever!
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