'Avengers: Endgame' on pace to crack $300 million in U.S. and Canada opening

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'Avengers: Endgame' on pace to crack $300 million in U.S. and Canada opening

By Lisa Richwine

 

An Avengers fan in costume arrives at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood to attend the opening screening of "Avengers: Endgame" in Los Angeles, California, U.S., April 25, 2019. REUTERS/Mike Blake

 

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Marvel superhero spectacle "Avengers: Endgame" hauled in a record $60 million at U.S. and Canadian box offices on Thursday night, and distributor Walt Disney Co "cautiously" predicted an unprecedented $300 million weekend debut.

 

That would smash the current opening-weekend domestic record of $258 million, set a year ago by predecessor "Avengers: Infinity War."

 

"As we are looking at levels of presales and grosses not seen before, we are cautiously projecting a three-day in the $300 (million) range," Disney said in an e-mail on Friday afternoon.

 

The three-hour film starring Robert Downey Jr., Chris Hemsworth and Scarlett Johansson is the final chapter in a story told across 22 Marvel films. It picks up after "Infinity War," when many of Marvel's big-screen superheroes appeared to turn to dust.

 

In "Endgame," survivors including Iron Man, the Hulk and Black Widow plot to kill the supervillain Thanos and undo his damage.

 

Thursday evening's domestic sales topped the previous opening night record of $57 million set in 2015 by "Star Wars: The Force Awakens."

 

"Endgame" began rolling out in international markets on Wednesday and has achieved records in China and several other countries. As of Friday morning, global ticket sales reached $305 million, Disney said.

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2019-04-27

 

 

[Krataiboy]

What an irony - billions of people reduced to mere bystanders in their own controlled and regimented little lives paying through the nose for a dose of digital escapism.

 

You couldn't make it up. But Hollywood, propaganda tool of the power elite, just did - and got stinking richer in the process.

[justin case]

did you even see the movie ? I went to see with my child...escape-ism is what we needed...looked forward for many months...