Avengers: Endgame Breaks China Opening Day Record
There's an end goal in site for Avengers: Endgame: smash as many records as possible.
The monumental Marvel movie is well on its way to achieving that, having already shattered the record for best opening day in history in China, one of the most crucial cinema markets in the world.
Per The Hollywood Reporter, when Endgame debuted in the country on Wednesday, April 24, it earned a staggering $107.2 million during its first 24 hours at the box office. That figure accounts for $28.2 million earned from midnight preview showings, and has sent Endgame soaring to the top of China's rank of best film openings.
The pic's $107.2 million pull in China surpassed the previous best single-day earner Monster Hunt 2, a Chinese blockbuster that bowed to the tune of $85 million in 2018. Taking only Hollywood-produced pics into consideration when listing the highest-grossing debuts in the Middle Kingdom, Avengers: Endgame beat out Universal's The Fate of the Furious by a massive margin; the action flick previously secured the single-day record in China when it debuted at $69 million in 2017.
Avengers: Endgame experiencing such an incredible launch in China is, of course, due to the immense hype surrounding the superhero ensemble — but it's also down to the fact that nearly all tickets sold in the country on Wednesday, April 24 were Endgame tickets. THR notes that the majority of large-scale Chinese theaters prioritized Endgame over every other movie, projecting the Joe and Anthony Russo-directed flick on every available screen and scheduling showings "every 15 to 30 minutes."
The culmination of the last 11 years of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Endgame is tracking for a groundbreaking global debut — and is poised to crack many more records after this one. Estimations from box office analysts pin the film as taking in anywhere from $850 million to $950 million or more worldwide in its first three days out, with other projections coming in at an unprecedented $1 billion earned over the opening weekend. Domestic predictions are just as fantastic: Endgame is eyeing a $250 million launch in U.S. and Canada, and could end up lassoing a cool $300 million-plus before the end of day on Sunday, April 28.
Though Avengers: Endgame has already broken a number of records prior to its official April 26 launch and will continue doing so over the course of its theatrical run, the one record that will likely remain untouched is that for the top-earning film of all time. Avatar, which made $2.788 billion globally, currently holds the title. Sure, Avengers: Infinity War got pretty close to stealing the number-one spot when it took in $2.048 billion last year, but it still came up hundreds of millions of dollars short. It couldn't even touch the second-best-grossing movie in history – Titanic, with $2.187 billion worldwide.
Facts and figures aside, Avengers: Endgame is looking to be a film unlike anything audiences have ever witnessed. Critics have showered the film with affection and fans can hardly wait to head to theaters to witness Endgame for themselves. No matter what Endgame ends up earning across its opening weekend and over its full stint at the box office, it will still make history in being what many consider the best superhero movie ever.
Avengers: Endgame hits theaters on April 26. Thursday previews begin on April 25.