“Avengers: Infinity War” is hauling in box office records the way Thanos hauls in Infinity Stones.
On Wednesday, after just over three weeks in theaters worldwide, the Marvel crossover film will pass the $1.67 billion global theatrical run of “Jurassic World,” making it the fourth-highest grossing movie of all time (without inflation adjustment) to become the biggest summer blockbuster in box office history.
On Tuesday, “Avengers” added just under $27 million to its global total, with half of that revenue coming from China, where the film is coming off of an astounding $200 million opening weekend. “Infinity War” currently has a global total of $1.665 billion, about $6 million shy of “Jurassic World’s” global mark. Overseas, the film has grossed $1.1 billion, becoming only the seventh film ever to gross over $1 billion outside North America.
The other films that have reached that mark are “Avatar” ($2 billion); “Titanic” ($1.5 billion), “Furious 7” ($1.165 billion); “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” ($1.131 billion); “Jurassic World” ($1.019 billion); and “The Fate of the Furious” ($1.009 billion).
“Infinity War” is also now expected to become only the fourth film in box office history — and the first to do so with a release outside of December — to gross $2 billion worldwide. If and when it does so, it will join “Avatar,” “The Force Awakens,” and “Titanic” — the latter of which passed $2 billion after two anniversary re-releases — in the most exclusive of all box office clubs.
Prior to the film’s Chinese release, it was uncertain whether “Infinity War” would have the legs to reach $2 billion, especially considering that its box office performance will start tailing off significantly as “Deadpool 2” arrives in theaters this weekend followed by “Solo: A Star Wars Story” the weekend after. Jeff Bock, analyst for Exhibitor Relations, told TheWrap that $2 billion could be possible if the film grosses over $350 million in China.
With $230 million already contributed from China after five days in theaters, it looks like that will be reached. While Hollywood films are notorious for making most of their Chinese revenue on their opening weekend and falling off quickly after, “Infinity War” will still be the blockbuster of choice in that country for the next few weekends as “Deadpool 2” does not have a Chinese release date and “Star Wars” is not nearly as popular in the Middle Kingdom as the rest of the world.
Until “Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom” comes out in mid-June, “Avengers” will face little competition in China’s cineplexes, and combined with the latter-stage revenue from the rest of the world, that should be enough to help “Avengers: Infinity War” reach a milestone no summer tentpole has ever reached before.