The amount of anticipation that Avengers: Endgame is enjoying is unprecedented and no secret at this point. Now, opening weekend estimates tell us just how much that could translate to in terms of box office figures. According to Bloomberg, citing Exhibitor Relations, Avengers: Endgame is looking at a massive opening weekend of $282 million. This will put it well ahead of last year’s Avengers: Infinity War which opened to $258 million, as well as 2015’s Star Wars: The Force Awakens which opened to $248 million, both movies being the biggest openers in recent times.
While that’s an exhorbitant amount, it’s still a believable number in Endgame‘s case. At this point, the fourth Avengers movie is basically marketing itself, with fans sharing memes and countless theories keeping the rumor mill going. The secrecy around the movie, as envisioned in its marketing campaign by Kevin Feige and the Russo Brothers is working in its favor. And note that this is just the domestic figure i.e. the North American opening weekend. Outside the United States, it should open to a similar amount taking it well past $500 – $600 million worldwide. It should however be noted though that these are quite early predictions at a time when a lot of the movie’s marketing hasn’t even begun. Expectedly, the numbers could fluctuate a lot in the lead-up to the movie’s release.
What this also signifies is just how strong Disney’s domination is getting over the worldwide box office. Owning such properties as Marvel and Lucasfilm means Disney is poised for its biggest year ever in 2019, after already having a huge year in 2018 where it earned more than $3 billion at the US box office alone. With Avengers: Endgame, The Lion King, Toy Story 4 and Star Wars: Episode IX all falling under the Walt Disney umbrella, along with a barrage of other potential hits too many to include here, 2019 could effectively turn out to be the year of Disney.
Avengers: Endgame is set for release on April 26, 2019. Directed by Anthony and Joe Russo, it features an ensemble cast including Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Scarlett Johansson, Chris Hemsworth, Karen Gillan, Paul Rudd, Don Cheadle with voice over and motion capture work by Vin Diesel, Bradley Cooper and Josh Brolin.
