Avengers: Endgame becomes the fourth film in history to gross more than $700 million at the domestic box office, passing Black Panther on the all-time charts in the process. Ever since opening at the end of April, Marvel's latest blockbuster has put together an unprecedented run, earning $2 billion worldwide in record time. The movie got off to such a strong start commercially that it's widely expected it will eventually overtake James Cameron's Avatar as the biggest film ever. It already stands as the #2 film globally, recently toppling Titanic.
If there were any obstacles that stood in Endgame's path to securing the top position all-time, it's that it came out at the outset of the summer movie season, when competition tends to be a bit more stiff. Avatar was able to feast on weak January and February offerings, giving it very strong legs at the box office. Three weeks into its run, Endgame was going toe-to-toe with Detective Pikachu - a rare video game adaptation to generate positive buzz. But Avengers was expected to take home the weekend crown again, and it also passed another milestone.
Per Box Office Mojo, Endgame finished in the #1 spot this weekend, earning $63 million in the States. It narrowly edged out Pikachu, which grossed $58 million in its debut. Endgame is now at $723.4 million domestically, rising to #3 on the all-time domestic charts. This weekend, Endgame moved past fellow Marvel tentpoles Infinity War and Black Panther.
Endgame still has about $300 million more to go before it beats Avatar worldwide, but it will pass Cameron's sci-fi epic domestically much sooner. Avatar earned $760.5 million across multiple theatrical runs, so it's conceivable it slides down to third later this week. The real drama comes in Endgame's pursuit of Star Wars: The Force Awakens' all-time domestic record of $936.6 million. Like Avatar, The Force Awakens was a December release and really padded its totals via repeat viewings amidst a weak January field. May and June, of course, are when high-profile blockbusters come out, taking away screens and business from Endgame. By the time this month ends, Aladdin and Godzilla: King of the Monsters will be playing. Endgame is currently $213.2 million domestically behind Force Awakens, so it'll be interesting to see how Avengers fares these next couple of weeks.
As for Detective Pikachu, the $58 million it made is far less than the initial projections of anywhere between $75-90 million, but it's still a respectable haul. Globally, the first live-action Pokémon film has earned $170.4 million, putting it on pace to pass is break even point in the near future. It may not have been able to completely escape the shadow of Endgame, but Pikachu is by no means a flop and should hold fairly well. WB will likely have the confidence to move forward on those planned sequels and spinoffs.
Source: Box Office Mojo
