Given how hyped up it was over the past three years, it was to be expected that Avengers: Infinity War would be the biggest Marvel Cinematic Universe entry yet, and since this franchise is more popular than ever, that would subsequently translate to a lot of people watching it on the big screen. But having been in theaters across the world for only a little over a week, Infinity War's box office performance has nonetheless been astounding, and now the blockbuster is on its way to becoming the fastest movie to earn $1 billion worldwide.
Until now, 2015's Star Wars: The Force Awakens was the movie that held this honor, as it hit the $1 billion mark after 12 days in theaters. But as THR reports, Avengers: Infinity War is expected to topple The Force Awakens from its throne and reach $1 billion either today or tomorrow, a.k.a. its 10th or 11th day in theaters overseas. As of yesterday, Infinity War has made $905.1 million worldwide, $338.4 million of which comes from domestic screenings. Once it hits the $1 billion milestone, Infinity War will be the 34th movie to do so, 17 of which hail from Disney. What's especially impressive is that Infinity War doesn't even come out in China until May 11, and while not all American blockbusters necessarily do well in that country (I'm looking at you, Star Wars), ideally it will make a nice haul there. Infinity War also debuted in Russia yesterday to the tune of $4.9 million, the biggest opening in the country.
Arriving on the 10th anniversary of the MCU's launch, Avengers: Infinity War finally delivers on the big threat that's been years in the making: Thanos and his search for the six Infinity Stones, requiring nearly every hero that's been introduce in this shared universe so far to join forces to try and stop him. Besides its importance to the MCU, it also stands as one of Hollywood's biggest blockbusters ever, so it's no wonder that a lot of folks have been flocking to see it. I doubt I was the only one who assumed that Infinity War would easily cross $1 billion, but I didn't expect it to happen so quickly.
Let's also not forget that Avengers: Infinity War isn't even the final Phase Three movie. Following July's Ant-Man and the Wasp and next March's Captain Marvel, Avengers 4 will wrap up this era of the MCU and pave the way for a new chapter. No spoilers here, but let's just say that if you thought Infinity War had a lot packed in, it's looking like Avengers 4 will have just as much material, if not more. If directors Joe and Anthony Russo and everyone else involved with Avengers 4 manage to stick the landing, then not only will that movie also cross $1 billion easily, perhaps it'll even hit that faster than Infinity War did.
Whether you've already seen Avengers: Infinity War or haven't had the opportunity to catch it yet, be sure to read CinemaBlend's review of the movie. If you're interested in learning what other movies are heading to theaters later this year, look through our 2018 release schedule.
