AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR (Marvel/Disney) exists on that rarefied box office plane where even a reported $450M in production/marketing costs can be waved off in comparison to the certain returns to come. Deadline is reporting its opening day at $104M ($39M from Thursday night), which would be just slightly the #3 opening day in US history, behind The Force Awakens‘ $119.1M and The Last Jedi‘s $104.7M, with final numbers for the day very possibly pushing it to #2. The Age of Ultron weekend multiple would put Infinity War at $235.7M, but there’s plenty of potential upside, because Ultron was the most front-loaded of Marvel’s mega-busters at 2.27x. The multiples for the first Avengers, Captain America: Civil War and Black Panther were 2.37x-2.66x, which means that Force Awakens‘ $248M all-time US weekend record is very much on the table. (The worldwide opening number will be massive as well, but Infinity War may not be able to challenge for that title because its China opening won’t take place for several weeks.) Infinity War will almost certainly be not just Disney’s, but Marvel’s 2nd $1B movie in less than 6 months, something no franchise has ever achieved before, although Disney’s LucasFilm division could imminently do the same if (big if) Solo can get to that level a few weeks from now.
No studio dared to challenge Infinity War even as counterprogramming, but some holdovers held up pretty well in the face of the behemoth. A QUIET PLACE (Paramount) dropped 51% from last Friday to $3.1M, and could have a $10M weekend, putting it on track for $170M in the US.
I FEEL PRETTY (Voltage/H Brothers/STX) fell 59% from last Friday to $2.5M for an $8M weekend that might leave it at $45M in the US, roughly the same total as Snatched.
RAMPAGE (New Line/Warners), not surprisingly, was walloped by Infinity War, down 66% Friday-to-Friday to $1.7M, possibly en route to a $7M weekend and $90M in the US.
The arrival of its cousin gave BLACK PANTHER (Marvel/Disney) a boost, down a tiny 18% on its 11th Friday to $1M, as it racks up a $4M weekend and stretches toward a possible $700M US total.
SUPER TROOPERS 2 (Fox Searchlight) was already super-front-loaded, and the new competition didn’t help, down a painful 86% from last Friday to $1.1M for a $3M weekend and possible $25M US total, which may still be profitable on its low costs.
BLOCKERS (Good Universe/Universal) is counterprogramming to the Marvel universe, but it still fell 57% Friday-to-Friday to $900K, for a $3M weekend as it heads toward $60M in the US.
READY PLAYER ONE (Village Roadshow/Reliance/Warners) was very much last month’s spectacle, down 65% from last Friday to $700K for a $2.5M weekend as it settles for $135M in the US.
TRAFFIK (Code Black/Lionsgate) toppled by 67% from last Friday to $500K, on its way to a $1.5M weekend and a US total that may not see $10M.
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