'Avengers: Infinity War' grosses over $2 billion worldwide, becomes the second fastest to reach mark after 'Avatar'
'Avengers: Infinity War' has officially grossed over $2 billion worldwide, becoming only the fourth film in history to do so. Of the $2 billion, 32.8% of the gross (roughly $655 million) was from US shores, with the other 67.2% ($1.34 billion) collected from foreign countries.
'Infinity War' is the 19th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) and is a culmination of over 10 years of Marvel movies, each of which played its part in the build-up to what has since been described as the 'greatest crossover event in cinematic history.'
Unsurprisingly enough then, the hype for the movie was astronomic and it went on to boast the biggest worldwide opening on record (both internationally and domestically) — $640 million worldwide, $258 million domestically — beating out the likes of 'The Fate of the Furious,' 'Stars Wars: Force Awakens,' and 'Jurassic World' in the process.
It broke a few other records on its meteoric rise to the top as well. It is currently the fourth-highest-grossing film of all-time — behind 'Avatar' ($2.7 billion) 'Titanic' ($2.1 billion) and 'Star Wars: Force Awakens' ($2.068 billion) — and at its current trajectory, will, in all likelihood, surpass all except the James Cameron's revolutionary 3D science-fiction film.
However, that record could very well be under threat as well. 'Infinity War' became the fastest film in history to reach a worldwide gross of $1 billion, doing so in just 11 days, and has taken just one day more than 'Avatar' did in 2009 to reach the hallowed $2 billion mark. Currently, it is also the highest-grossing film of 2018.
But as it was pointed out by netizens on social media platforms, 'Infinity War' was a summer release that had to compete with the likes of 'Deadpool 2,' and 'Solo: A Star Wars Story,' while its competitor had the benefit of a Christmas release, as well as the unique advantage of being one of the first-ever immersive 3D movies.
The massive returns are just as much a product of patience as they are of some excellent acting performances, visual effects, and action scenes. Made on a budget of approximately $400 million — one of the most expensive films ever made (behind only 'Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides' and predecessor 'Avengers: Age of Ultron' — 'Infinity War' is the highest-grossing superhero movie of all-time and has well and truly set the bar for the superhero movies to come; in both, the Marvel and DC Universes.
'Infinity War' left audiences at a cliffhanger of meteoric proportions but they won't have to wait too long to see how the long-running franchise finally concludes. An untitled sequel which has been in the works for some time will premiere in May 2019, and if the performance of the third installment of the franchise is any indication, the records it has set will be short-lived.