By Chris Kavan - 04/29/18 at 08:02 PM CT
The question going into this weekend wasn't whether Avengers: Infinity War was going to have a huge opening, the only question was how big it would be. That answer to that question is not just big, but biggest... ever. Shattering multiple records, Infinity War proves the MCU has continued box office clout and any talk of superhero fatigue should be shelved indefinitely. And it isn't just domestic, Infinity War dominated internationally, despite not even opening in Russia or China. And things get better as while almost every other film fell nearly 50% or more, Black Panther suffered a minor loss and actually returned to the top five - becoming only the second time two Marvel films have been in the top 10 since 2008 when the original Iron Man and The Incredible Hulk performed that feat. All in all, it looks like Infinity War is in for a wild ride - we'll see if that includes breaking more records along the way.
1) AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR
Was it worth the wait? All those years, all those superheroes, all those infinity stones? Well, $250 million later, the answer is a resounding YES! That opening tops the $247.9 million set by Star Wars: The Force Awakens and, as Disney seems to be in the habit of under-estimating the opening of their Marvel films, don't be surprised if that total goes up by several million come Monday. Other records set by Infinity War include largest single Saturday ($83 million), largest single Sunday ($61 million), largest April opening (easily topping the $147 million set by Furious 7), largest spring opening, widest release for a PG-13 film and fastest film to $150, $200 and $250 million respectively. And, if Monday actuals come out higher, it will likely top Age of Ultron in becoming the film with the highest percentage of the grosses out of all the films in the top 12 (84.4% compared to 84.5% for Ultron - but that can easily change). It also earned $39 million on Thursday, not a record, but still impressive. While a hit with critics, the film also scored an "A" Cinemscore with audiences, indicating good word-of-mouth (not exactly surprising). It landed with 58% male and 58% over 25. Internationally the film was no slouch, either, raking in $380 million from 72% of markets. That is second to only Fate of the Furious - with one big difference, Fate had China (which accounted for $185 million or 41.7% of its total) whereas Infinity War will open in China on May 11th. I'm sure if China was on the menu yet another record would have been broken. In any case, it opened in first place in every territory including $42.2 million in the UK and record openings in South Korea ($39.2 million), Mexico ($25.1 million), Brazil ($18.8million), Philippines ($12.5 million), Thailand ($10 million), Indonesia ($9.6 million) and Malaysia ($8.4 million). It also delivered the highest-grossing international IMAX debut (excluding China) in history. It will be a bit tough to gauge just how big Infinity War is going to end up until we see how it performs next weekend - but a total of $650-$700 million domestic is a good bet with $2 billion worldwide also a good bet. It's going to be huge, no matter what - we'll see just how big in the coming weeks.
2)
A QUIET PLACE
With Infinity War pretty much dominating the weekend, a 49.1% drop for A Quiet Place is actually one of the better holds among the top 12. With $10.65 million, the hit horror film jumped to a $148.1 million total with $150 million within spitting distance at this point. It was also the only other film to hit double-digits in the face of Marvel's monster. That total also means A Quiet Place is now the fifth best supernatural horror film on record, and it will soon pass What Lies Beneath ($155.4 million) to move higher on that list. The $17 million film is going to turn a big profit, with a total that is looking likely to top $175 million. The film also has a $235 million worldwide total thus far and it could wind up as one of the best cost-to-gross ratios of the year.
3)
I FEEL PRETTY
After defying critics and vocal internet "experts", I Feel Pretty also managed to hold well in its second week, dipping 49.3% and adding $8.13 million to its total, which now stands at $29.57 million, fast approaching its $32 million budget. While the Amy Schumer comedy isn't breaking any records, it will be a solid performer as it's performing well in line with similarly-themed films. Now, while there is some buzz that is deservedly toxic, at other times negative buzz is created by a vocal minority and spreads like an unneeded virus. I Feel Pretty, while probably taking a hit, managed to ride things out and come out on top. It's not always easy, but coming out on top or at least countering those negative voices, it a win in an of itself.
4)
RAMPAGE
No surprise here that Rampage was one of the big victims of the Infinity War dominance. Taking a hefty 64.6% hit, Rampage dropped from second to fourth place with $7.1 million and a new $77.9 million total. Crossing the $75 million mark is a relief, but it looks like the combined might of Infinity War and the upcoming Deadpool 2 is going to stop this one in its tracks - at least on the domestic front. Rampage is still going strong overseas, where it took in $16.2 million, raising its worldwide total to $334.6 million. That means the $120 million film is going to wind up just find in the profit department, even if it will earn most of that on the international front.
5)
BLACK PANTHER
Making a return to the top five since the first week in April, Black Panther benefited from a Marvel bump as it fell just 11.1% and jumped from eight to fifth place in the process. The $4.38 million it took in gives the other Marvel film a new total of $688 million. Weekend totals also put Black Panther at $1.332 billion worldwide - and it will soon surpass The Last Jedi ($1.332.8 billion) to move up to 9th place on the highest-grossing film worldwide. With the one-two punch of Black Panther and Infinity War, Disney now holds the crown for fastest studio to hit $1 billion (domestic) in a given year. Black Panther still has a shot at $700 million at this point - as well as topping Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 to move up to 8th on the all-time list. Disney still has a lot of big films on the way, (including Solo: A Star Wars Story, Ant-Man and the Wasp and The Incredibles 2 among them) and we'll see if the studio sets a record in 2018 for grosses alone.
Outside the top five: Super Troopers 2 may have opened well ahead of expectations, but took a big hit in the second weekend with a harsh 76.3% drop and a sixth place $3.6 million. Still, its $22.08 million has already topped the $18.5 million the original film made in its entire run (a total it hit in just 10 days) and anything from here on out is great for the cult comedy.
Infinity War should have no problem holding on to first place next weekend when Overboard, Bad Samaritan and Tully will vie for a spot in the top five.
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