‘Avengers: Endgame’ tops $2.2 billion while ‘UglyDolls’ flatlines at box office
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Marvel’s “Avengers: Endgame” continues making box office history as the fastest film to hit $1 billion globally while also cruising past James Cameron’s “Titanic” on route to push his other monster film “Avatar” down a notch.
“Avengers: Endgame” continued its global domination at the box office in a second-week victory lap that saw the blockbuster cross the $2 billion mark in record time and unseat “Titanic” as the second highest-grossing film ever worldwide. Domestically, newcomers, including thrillers (“The Intruder”), well-reviewed comedies (“Long Shot”) or animated family fare (“Uglydolls”) were left in the dust to pick up the scraps.
The Walt Disney Co. estimated Sunday that “Endgame” added $145.8 million from North American theaters and $282.2 million internationally bringing its global total to $2.2 billion. “Endgame” is one of five movies to ever reach that threshold and, not accounting for inflation, is now second worldwide only to “Avatar’s” $2.8 billion. “Avatar” reached $2 billion in 47 days of release compared with 11 for “Endgame,” although in 2009 the theatrical landscape was different, most notably so in China.
“The sprint to $2 billion is unbelievable. We’re in uncharted territory,” said Paul Dergarabedian, the senior media analyst for Comscore. “Usually films like this are marathoners.”
To reach “Avatar’s” global record, however, “Endgame” will have to turn into a marathoner itself and the summer movie season is only going to get more competitive.
Still, “it’s got a real chance at getting there,” Dergarabedian said.
Domestically, “Endgame,” which is still playing on 4,662 screens, scored the second biggest second weekend ever with a sum that would be impressive for any film on opening weekend. Even its 59% drop is notable considering how front-loaded it was. “Endgame” has now grossed $619.7 million in North America, making it the ninth biggest of all time, behind “Star Wars: The Last Jedi.”
MCU Crosses $20 Billion Mark
“Endgame” has pushed the Marvel Cinematic Universe into record breaking history now that all 22 movies in the MCU have grossed over $20 billion at the global box office. This combined franchise is now the most successful one of all time. This is something DC Films and WarnerBros. Have been trying to achieve but is doubtful.
Getting over that $20 billion box office mark involved a couple of key things. For one, “Avengers: Endgame “ opened in its last major market earlier this week, Russia, where it had a record opening day debut in the country, bringing in $7.8 million. That’s 59 percent more than the previous record holder, this movie’s predecessor, “Infinity War.” The latest entry in the MCU also earned a stunning $36.7 million on Monday, which was the second-largest Monday ever, right behind “Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” which made $40 million on its first Monday out of the gate back in 2015.
It also doesn’t hurt matters that the hype for “Avengers: Endgame” has given “Captain Marvel” a little late 2nd round box office boost as well. That movie finished number two last weekend at the box office over the weekend and has now brought in $1.11 billion on its own. That already makes this a great year for Disney, and they still have a long way to go. While all of the actual box office dollars will go to Sony, Marvel also has “Spider-Man: Far From Home” set to arrive in July, which could very well cross the $1 billion mark as well. It wasn’t all that long ago when hitting that milestone was something special. Now the MCU movies do it like clockwork.
New Films Didn’t Stand A Chance
New films entering the marketplace hardly stood a chance, but some saw successes even in the shadow of “Endgame.”
In second place, “The Intruder,” a modestly budgeted ($8 million) thriller with Dennis Quaid and Meagan Good, survived poor reviews and did the best of the batch with $11 million in box office receipts. The Sony/Screen Gems film was released on 2,222 screens.
Although close behind on the charts in third place, Lionsgate and Point Grey’s “Long Shot,” a politically-themed romantic comedy with Seth Rogen and Charlize Theron, failed to make a significant dent against its pricier budget. The film, which was the best reviewed of the newcomers by far, grossed an estimated $10 million from 3,230 screens, against a reported $40 million budget. But word-of-mouth could also help propel “Long Shot” to profits ultimately. Lionsgate said on Sunday that it expected “Long Shot” to find a broader audience over the next month, with the Mother’s Day and Memorial Day weekends holding promise.
″‘Long Shot’ has a shot at staying power,” Dergarabedian said. “But there’s a lot of noise to rise above.”
The studio is one of a handful of smaller ones that have been struggling as streaming services have moved aggressively into their territory — midbudget action-adventures, comedies and dramas. Lionsgate had held up “Long Shot” to Wall Street as one of a handful of movies that would signify a turnaround for its film division. (Another was “Hellboy,” which bombed last month.) The studio will try again with “John Wick: Chapter 3 — Parabellum,” which arrives in theaters on May 17.
The unluckiest of the new movies was “Uglydolls,” an animated film based on the line of plush toys featuring the voices of Kelly Clarkson, Nick Jonas, Blake Shelton and Janelle Monae, which placed fourth with $8.5 million. STXfilms’ first animated feature cost $45 million to produce after production rebates. It didn’t fare so well with critics.
STXfilms had lined up more than 100 promotional partners, including McDonald’s and Walmart, to generate interest in “UglyDolls,” hyping it as the start of a lucrative franchise
Both STXfilms and Alibaba hope the film will perform better in China, where it is expected to be released this summer. An “UglyDolls” series is also in the works for Hulu.
Industry-wide, the continued success of “Endgame” has also helped the box office deficit, which went from down 13.2% last weekend to down 10.9% this weekend. And Dergarabedian said that the industry may be on its way to a record summer, still.
“It’s not just about one movie this summer,” he said. “There’s a lot more to come from every studio. Diversity of content will rule the day.”
North American Box Office
Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore. Where available, the latest international numbers for Friday through Sunday are also included. Final domestic figures will be released Monday.
1.“Avengers: Endgame,” $145.8 million ($282.2 million international).
2.“The Intruder,” $11 million.
3.“Long Shot,” $10 million ($3.3 million international).
4.“Uglydolls,” $8.5 million ($955,000 international).
5.“Captain Marvel,” $4.3 million ($1.2 million international).
6.“Breakthrough,” $3.9 million.
7.“The Curse of La Llorona,” $3.5 million ($5.8 million international).
8.“Shazam!” $2.5 million ($2.3 million international).
9.“Little,” $1.5 million ($400,000 international).
10.“Dumbo,” $1.4 million ($4 million international).
Worldwide Box Office
Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at international theaters (excluding the U.S. and Canada), according to Comscore:
1. “Avengers: Endgame,” $282.2 million.
2. “Capernaum,” $13.1 million.
3. “We’ll End Up Together,” $7 million.
4. “The Curse of La Llorona,” $5.8 million.
1. “Wonder Park” and “Always Miss You,” $4.7 million.
2. “Dumbo,” $4 million.
3. “Long Shot,” $3.3 million.
4. “Inseparable Bros,” $3.2 million.
5. “Shazam!” and “After,” $2.3 million.
6. “Queen’s Corgi,” $1.7 million.
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