'Avengers: Infinity War' box office beats 'Star Wars' for biggest opening weekend ever
Nothing can touch Avengers: Infinity War.
With an estimated U.S. box office total of $250 million, Marvel's latest is officially set to claim the record of biggest opening weekend of all time. Nothing will be official until the final figures are tallied on Monday, but this record is likely to stand.
Infinity War unseats previous record-holder Star Wars: The Force Awakens ($248 million) from its #1 berth. Those two, plus Star Wars: The Last Jedi ($220 million), means the top three opening weekends in the U.S. of all time belong to Disney movies.
The stats get even crazier from there: 6 of the top 10 opening weekends are Marvel movies. 9 out of the top 10 are Disney movies. Infinity War officially pushed Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 ($169.2 million) to #11, and Jurassic World ($208.8 million) -- the only non-Disney contender -- to #4.
Infinity War started strong on Thursday with record-breaking $39 million in "preview" ticket sales. That trend continued into Friday's $106 million, Saturday's $83 million, and Sunday's estimated $61 million. All of those totals amount to best-ever box office performances for each respective day of the week.
This is just the start of what's shaping up to be a milestone theatrical run for Marvel. Infinity War's opening weekend at the global box office -- which includes the U.S. total -- is enough for a best-ever $630 million, while the $380 million in non-U.S. ticket sales is the second best, behind Fate of the Furious ($443 million).
It's important to note, however: Fate's record opening weekend included ticket sales from the movie's release in China, the biggest film market on the planet outside of Hollywood. However, Infinity War hasn't opened yet in China; it pulled in $380 million overseas without that major market in the mix.
Marvel movies generate plenty of interest in China. Infinity War predecessor Black Panther has earned $105.1 million there to date. The Avengers, over the course of its run in 2012, earned $86.3 million. Infinity War opens in China on May 11.
While a new Avengers movie was widely seen as a sure thing at the box office given how the previous two performed (both rank among the biggest box office winners of all time), don't count out the influence of Black Panther here. The February release was a bona fide sensation, giving Marvel its biggest standalone superhero movie to date.
In the months leading up to its release, Infinity War promos leaned heavily on the Wakanda segment of the movie. Black Panther -- which actually moved up in the box office rankings this weekend, no doubt catching some of the Avengers run-off -- is clearly a key piece of Marvel's future.
Here's one final money stat to chew on: Infinity War's record opening brings Marvel's total box office to date, across 19 movies and 10 years, up to $15.39 billion.
Find showtimes and theaters for Avengers: Infinity War near you.
Adam Rosenberg is a Senior Games Reporter for Mashable, where he plays all the games. Every single one. From AAA blockbusters to indie darlings to mobile favorites and browser-based oddities, he consumes as much as he can, whenever he can.Adam brings more than a decade of experience working in the space to the Mashable Games team. He previously headed up all games coverage at Digital Trends, and prior to that was a long-time, full-time freelancer, writing for a diverse lineup of outlets that includes Rolling Stone, MTV, G4, Joystiq, IGN, Official Xbox Magazine, EGM, 1UP, UGO and others.Born and raised in the beautiful suburbs of New York, Adam has spent his life in and around the city. He's a New York University graduate with a double major in Journalism and Cinema Studios. He's also a certified audio engineer. Currently, Adam resides in Crown Heights with his dog and his partner's two cats. He's a lover of fine food, adorable animals, video games, all things geeky and shiny gadgets.
