With Avengers: Infinity War now just a week away, film industry analysts are almost as excited by its financial projections as Marvel fans are of seeing the culmination of a decade of superhero action. There’s no doubt it’ll break all sorts of box office records, but today, the Wall Street Journal (Paywall) is reporting that it might take the top prize – that being the biggest domestic opening weekend of all-time.
Right now, the Disney/Marvel Studios film is just a hair behind Star Wars: The Force Awakens and Star Wars: The Last Jedi in total pre-sales, having shifted an impressive $50 million from advance ticket sales alone. But it could be set to overtake both Star Wars movies, as WSJ’s data suggests that audience interest in seeing Infinity War is higher than either of the recent entries in that galaxy far, far away and what it calls “comparable blockbusters.”
More specifically, 45% of moviegoers surveyed picked Avengers: Infinity War as their most anticipated upcoming release, compared to 33% for The Force Awakens at the same point before it opened. Even more promisingly, Greg Foster, head of entertainment for IMAX, says that audience anticipation is still growing:
“In this business you’re always asking when you’re going to hit a wall, but so far on this movie, every single figure has shown the momentum being historic.”
So, it’s looking like a dead cert that Infinity War is going to crack the all-time box office top ten, and it might even have the legs to shoot right to the top, too. Possibly the only thing standing in its way is that it’s the culmination of ten years of MCU plotlines, meaning those who’ve skipped out on several movies in the franchise (or, heaven forfend, still haven’t seen one – do these people even exist?) won’t be inclined to check it out.
As always, the proof is in the pudding. And we’ll be getting a real good look at that pudding next week, when Avengers: Infinity War opens on April 27th.