Avengers: Infinity War Just Had the Biggest Opening Weekend of All-Time

There was never any question that Avengers: Infinity War was going to be a smash. None. The question was always whether or not it would be a record-setting smash. Following in the footsteps of the now historic Black Panther gave the question a new quality of fraternal competition—could it be as big as Black Panther? Well, the answer appears to be yes—the Russo Brothers’ Infinity War took in a record-smashing $630 million global haul, the biggest global opening of all time, and stands very close to toppling J.J. Abrams’ Star Wars: The Force Awakens for biggest domestic opening of all time, with a $250 million take (varying accounts have it taking the top spot from The Force Awakens or just missing it when inflation is factored in.)

Now that the Russo Brothers have delivered the biggest opening weekend of all time, box office watchers will be focusing on whether Infinity War has the kind of stamina that Black Panther had. Ryan Coogler’s epic became the only Marvel film ever to be number one at the box office for five consecutive weeks after its release. The last film to spend five weeks in a row at the top was Jame Camerson’s Avatar, way back in 2009. Infinity War has a lot going for it that will likely give it legs. The most important fact is that the film is really good. Like Coogler’s Black Panther, audiences will likely go back to see Infinity War for a second (even third) time, while even reluctant viewers who don’t love the superhero genre will hit the theater to see what all the fuss is about. Then there’s the fact that Infinity War doesn’t have a ton of competition for the next few weeks, as a lot of studios gave the gigantic Marvel film a wide berth. What’ll be very interesting to track is how Infinity War‘s darker tone, especially that ending, affects audiences in the coming weeks. Black Panther was a ripping film, with barely an ounce of fat and an ending that left viewers both thrilled and happy. Infinity War is a longer, denser, and ultimately darker film.

The end result will likely be more history to be made. Its incredible that a film of this size, with this many huge stars and this much cinematic weight to bear delivered in such a satisfying way. This feat really can’t be overstated. Consider Infinity War is the culmination of a decade’s worth of films, and stands as the pièce de résistance of the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe. Infinity War is what the entire MCU was created to deliver. Deliver it has.

The first really big film to come up against Infinity War will be Deadpool 2 when it comes along on May 18th, followed by Solo: A Star Wars Story on May 25. Until then, you can pretty much bet the house on Thanos ruling the box office week in and week out.

Featured image: Marvel Studios’ AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR. Spider-Man/Peter Parker (Tom Holland).