Avengers: Endgame Has Sold $120 Million In Advance Domestic Tickets
Avengers: Endgame is shaping up to be one of the biggest films in history.
The epic superhero ensemble, directed by Avengers: Infinity War helmers Joe and Anthony Russo, has sold a staggering $120 million in advance tickets for screenings in the United States and Canada, Deadline reports.
The majority of Avengers: Endgame presale profits (75 percent) have come from the three largest ticket retailers: AMC, Cinemark, and Regal Cinemas.
Sources close to the outlet have indicated that the domestic presale figure is actually quickly climbing north of the $120 million mark — up to $140 million based on certain projections. While it's important to note that these estimates are from unnamed industry analysts and not from the Walt Disney Company or Marvel Studios, that Endgame has already drummed up more cash in advance ticket sales just for North American showings than a lot of films make in their entire theatrical run is incredibly impressive.
It's not all that surprising, though, considering the near-deafening buzz that has surrounded the film for well over a year now. When tickets for Avengers: Endgame went on sale at the start of April, the film broke the 24-hour presale tickets record on Fandango; Star Wars: The Force Awakens previously held the record, having sold more than $100 million in advance tickets. Additionally, Endgame also surpassed Infinity War in the presales department, selling five times the amount of tickets than its predecessor.
The demand for tickets was so high, in fact, that sites began crashing. Some fans were struck with 503 error codes as they tried to load pages to purchase tickets, while others were forced to wait in digital queues of up to an hour or more in order to secure a seat for an Endgame screening. To accommodate the intense desire for Endgame tickets, theater owners have added additional showtimes at all hours of the day — some screening the film at 4 AM and 6:30 AM on Friday, April 26, when Endgame officially launches. Several AMC theaters have even implemented round-the-clock showings to ensure those who want to see the film as early as possible at least have the chance to do so.
Overseas, Avengers: Endgame continues to shatter records. Per The Hollywood Reporter, the film broke the presales record in China, selling $90 million in advance tickets. The previous record-holders were Monster Hunt 2, which sold roughly $59.6 million in presale tickets, and Avengers: Infinity War, which sold $59.2 million. It's plain to see Endgame smashed the record by an enormous margin, and will likely see great success in China during its time in theaters.
Analysts are predicting that these massive presale figures will translate into total box office domination. Avengers: Endgame is currently tracking for a mind-blowing $300 million domestic debut — up from the $200 million to $250 million opening estimate previously offered on April 4. Deadline notes that if theaters accommodate for an average four or five showings of Endgame per day across five to eight screens at each location, and have each showing be at a minimum 70 percent capacity in 12,000 theaters in the States, will push Endgame to the $300 million domestic opening benchmark.
Should Endgame truly hit $300 million (or more) at the domestic box office upon launch, it would beat out Infinity War with ease. That film, released around this time last year, earned $257.6 million to become the highest-earning domestic opener in history.
Early response to Avengers: Endgame has been nothing short of mesmerizing, with many applauding it as the greatest superhero movie in history and the perfect way to bring together the past 11 years of Marvel movie goodness. While there are still a few days left before Endgame opens for the masses, hype has arguably never been higher — which will translate to big box office bucks. It's a win-win: fans get a monumentally cool film, and Disney and Marvel get to roll in cash.
Avengers: Endgame hits theaters on Friday, April 26. Those who purchased preview night tickets can head out to see the pic on Thursday, April 25.