Will ‘Avengers: Infinity War’ Box Office Top ‘The Force Awakens’ Opening Weekend?

Quietly debuting in theaters this weekend is a little movie called Avengers: Infinity War. Thanks to a grassroots effort from several independent financiers and even some crowdfunding, the little comic book movie that could is getting a wide release and it could make a million dollars! Who’d have thunk it?

Just kidding. Disney and Marvel Studios have thrown all sorts of money at this movie, making it one of the most expensive movies ever made, and they’ve been marketing it all over the place. But honestly, the studios probably didn’t have to do much to convince audiences to head into theaters for this one since it’s the culmination of 10 years of movies in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. So the box office is undoubtedly going to be huge, but how big will it actually be?

Not too long ago, we heard the movie has a chance to have the biggest domestic opening weekend ever, and now the more solid projections are in. Variety reports Avengers: Infinity War is on track to rake in between $225-$245 million. That would put it below the record-setting opening weekend of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, which made $248 million in its first three days, but some analysts have the movie passing the $250 million mark, which would have it breaking plenty of box office records previously set by the revival of the Star Wars saga.

If Avengers: Infinity War makes more than $250 million, that would be quite the increase from The Avengers‘ previous record-setting opening at $207.4 million, and it just goes to show you how much of a box office giant the movies of the Marvel Cinematic Universe have become in the years since. It would also be only the sixth film in history to make more than $200 million in its opening weekends domestically.

With all the hype and excitement surrounding this movie, there’s a chance it could even exceed the highest expectations. It’s being touted as such a huge blockbuster event that even people who haven’t seen most of the movies in the Marvel Cinematic Universe are interested in seeing it, if only to stay up to date on pop culture.

One thing that might not work in favor of a bigger box office haul is the longer running time. Clocking in at 2 hours and 40 minutes, it’s the longest movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe to date. Add the typical 15-20 minutes of trailers to that and we’re talking about a three-hour affair. That means less showings each day, even though the movie will be playing on multiple screens at pretty much every theater.

Avengers: Infinity War starts playing tomorrow evening, but opens everywhere on April 27, 2018.

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