At this very moment, the first American screenings of Avengers: Endgame are beginning in theaters up and down the east coast. Many of these venues are prepared for an impressive onslaught for the film’s opening weekend, as advanced ticket sales exploded to the point of sheer panic. But before the potentially record-breaking sequel to Avengers: Infinity War could even make a dime in the U.S., it was already making millions in China and several other international markets. At least $169 million, to be precise.
According to Deadline, most of Endgame‘s $169 million at the international box office was due to a massive turnout in the Chinese market, which ponied up $107.5 million for the first day of screenings. So far, Thursday screenings there are reportedly amassing $45.5 million more for Endgame‘s Chinese box office earnings so far. As for the entire five-day stretch (Wednesday to Sunday), Deadline predicts China alone will earn the film $300 million or more.
This shouldn’t come as a surprise, as China’s movie market is one of the world’s biggest. What’s more, analysts were already predicting back in March that the country would likely help bolster Endgame‘s opening weekend tally worldwide. As for the rest of Wednesday’s earnings, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Thailand, Australia, Philippines and South Korea also posted significant numbers. As a result, Deadline suspects that once screenings in the U.S., the U.K., Japan, Brazil, Mexico and other countries are tallied, Endgame should at least be somewhere in the $700 million range by late Sunday.
So yes, chances are good that a movie with a talking raccoon and a rather dark interpretation of the McDonald’s character Grimace is going to make a billion dollars during its opening weekend.
(Via Deadline)