In Hollywood's box office war, Avengers: Endgame has turned out to be a game-changer as it gallops its way to the $2 billion mark, raising the million dollar question on whether it will surpass the $2.78 billion benchmark set by Avatar a decade ago.
According to Forbes, Avengers: Endgame has already minted $1.82 billion in worldwide receipts as it heads into the second week since its release, making it inevitable that it will zoom past the lifetime collection of its predecessor Avengers: Infinity War ($2.05 billion) and Star Wars: The Force Awakens ($2.07 billion).
Even Titanic made $2.19 billion, but James Cameron’s Avatar, a tale set in the magical land of Pandora and revolving around the blue-skinned Na’vi people, is the big daddy.
Not only is Avengers: Endgame a direct sequel to Avengers: Infinity War, it’s the culmination of the previous 21 titles in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), a blockbuster series of films that commenced with Iron Man in 2008.
The talk of the film crossing its threshold is intriguing, and complicated, reported The Washington Post.
“The most obvious reason is inflation. Movie tickets cost a lot more now than they did in 2009 - a full 20 per cent more in the US alone. That means Avatar would have grossed some $150 million more here than its $760 million domestic total in today's dollars, a number that actually puts the global total of Avatar near the $3 billion mark,” the report pointed out.
Also, Avatar was playing on fewer screens than Avengers: Endgame, China being a key case in point. It has minted $460 million of the Avengers: Endgame box office, more than double the $204 million Avatar registered there, but that is also to do with the spurt in the number of theatres in the country in the last 10 years.
In India, Avengers: Endgame has not just outperformed every Hollywood movie, including The Jungle Book, which had made $38.8 million in its entire theatrical run in the country, but also breaking box office myths for desi filmmakers.
According to trade analyst Taran Adarsh, the Marvel Cinematic Universe movie has shattered two myths: “screen count and release period.”
“Most Hindi biggies release in 3,500 screens, even 4,000 or 4,500+ at times, yet those movies don’t achieve the numbers that Avengers: Endgame has amassed in just seven days on 2,845 screens.”Taran Adarsh, Trade Analyst
Adarsh wrote: “...Endgame is decimating previous records and setting new benchmarks. The audience is thirsting for well-made entertainers, but we rely more on packaging and marketing to do the trick... No wonder, our films misfire too often.”
India is the fifth biggest international market for the film, with China leading with over $500 million, followed by the UK, Korea and Mexico, as per The Hollywood Reporter. It has left the Indian film industry to deliberate upon its own strategies.
Directed by Joe Russo and Anthony Russo, the film has Hollywood biggies like Robert Downey Jr, Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo and Chris Hemsworth suiting up as the world's favourite superheroes.
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)