By Leonard Klady Klady@moviecitynews.com
The Weekend Report
Avengers: Infinity War arrived to a jaw-dropping, record-breaking estimated $247.6 million. Among its most significant box office achievements were likely the biggest domestic debut and it holds the crown as the largest global opening with a $630 million gross. In North America, 82% of all movie ticket sales went to the Marvel crew.
There were no takers to become a sacrificial counter-programmer. The sparse collection of freshmen included urban drama Kings, which grossed a flaccid $166,000 from 214 locations. More impressive was recent foreign-language Oscar winner Sebastian Lelio’s English-language debut, a tale of forbidden love, Disobedience, which bowed on five screens with $233,000.
Revenues edged past $300 million and climbed a hearty 143% from last weekend. It ballooned 206% from 2017 when the third weekend of Fate of the Furious led with $19.9 million and was followed by newcomers How to Be a Latin Lover and Baahubali: The Conclusion with $12.2 million and $10.4 million.
The latest from the Marvel universe was too big for one movie (its sequel arrives in April 2019) and pundits anticipated a domestic debut in excess of $200 million. Only three other films have reached that rarified realm so estimating a reasoned number thwarts any algorithm. Estimates ranged from $210-$230 million and even high-enders were outside the statistical margin of error. Studio exit polling identified the U.S. audience as 58% female with 58% 25 and older. The 17-to-25-year old crowd accounted for 49% of viewers.
On the international front Infinity Wars bowed everywhere save China and Russia with an estimated $380 million that ranks it second all time to The Fate of the Furious. It was the number one film in all territories even such traditional spoilers as India and Turkey. Among the countries where it set a new benchmark for all-time opening box office were Brazil, Indonesia, Korea, Malayasia, the Philippines and the United Arab Emirates. Top grossing territories included the UK with $42.2 million, Korea grossing $39.2 million, a $25.1 million box office in Mexico and the thunder Down Under with $23 million.
The film opens in Russia on May 3 and China closes the book on May 11.
| Weekend (estimates) April 27 – 29, 2018 | |||||
| Title | Distributor | Gross (avg) | % chng | Thtrs | Cume |
| Avengers: Infinity War | BV | 247.6 (55,350) | NEW | 4474 | 247.6 |
| A Quiet Place | Par | 10.6 (2,980) | -49% | 3565 | 148.1 |
| I Feel Pretty | STX/eOne | 8.1 (2,350) | -50% | 3440 | 29.5 |
| Rampage | WB | 7.0 (1,990) | -65% | 3508 | 77.8 |
| Black Panther | BV | 4.4 (2,690) | -10% | 1650 | 688.1 |
| Super Troopers 2 | Fox Searchlight | 3.6 (1,680) | -76% | 2125 | 22.1 |
| Truth or Dare | Uni | 3.2 (1,320) | -59% | 2420 | 35.3 |
| Blockers | Uni | 2.9 (1,260) | -57% | 2324 | 53.2 |
| Ready Player One | WB | 2.4 (1,020) | -67% | 2365 | 130.7 |
| Traffik | Lionsgate | 1.6 (1,520) | -60% | 1046 | 6.7 |
| Isle of Dogs | Fox Searchlight | 1.4 (1,380) | -60% | 1001 | 27 |
| I Can Only Imagine | Roadside/Lionsgate | .75 (780) | -69% | 970 | 81.1 |
| Chappaquiddick | Entertainment/D Films | .68 (960) | -63% | 704 | 15.8 |
| A Wrinkle in Time | BV | .66 (1,780) | -10% | 371 | 94.6 |
| Acrimony | Lionsgate | .64 (1,180) | -68% | 540 | 42.2 |
| Sherlock Gnomes | Par | .62 (850) | -56% | 731 | 40.6 |
| Bharat Ane Nenu | Great India | .36 (1,570) | -86% | 231 | 3.4 |
| You Were Never Really Here | Amazon | .32 (1,460) | -47% | 222 | 1.8 |
| The Miracle Season | Mirror/Elevation | .29 (670) | -74% | 430 | 9.4 |
| Beirut | Bleecker Street | .26 (1,100) | -74% | 237 | 4.5 |
| Disobedience | Bleecker Street | .23 (46,640) | NEW | 5 | 0.23 |
| The Death of Stalin | IFC/Elevation | .23 (1,550) | -29% | 150 | 7.8 |
| Lean on Pete | A24 | .22 (1,330) | 26% | 167 | 0.65 |
| Weekend Total ($500,000+ Films) | $296.25 | ||||
| % Change (Last Year) | 208% | ||||
| % Change (Last Week) | 143% | ||||
| Also debuting/expanding | |||||
| The Rider | Sony Classics | .18 (4,780) | 148% | 37 | 0.35 |
| Kings | Orchard | .17 (780) | 214 | 0.17 | |
| La Bolduc | Seville | .16 (2,370) | -8% | 68 | 1.9 |
| Indian Horse | Elevation | .15 (1,780) | -32% | 86 | 1 |
| Finding Your Feet | Roadside Attractions | .12 (1,150) | -34% | 102 | 1.2 |
| The Leisure Seeker | Sony Classics/eOne | 95,400 (820) | -43% | 117 | 2.9 |
| Grace Jones: Bloodlight and Bami | Kino | 41,300 (2,170) | 4% | 19 | 0.18 |
| Let the Sunshine In | IFC | 40,800 (13,600) | 3 | 0.04 | |
| Da One That Ghost Away | ABS | 39,300 (1,060) | 37 | 0.04 | |
| Final Portrait | Sony Classics | 35,800 (520) | -51% | 69 | 0.37 |
| Diya | Lyca | 33,700 (1,160) | 29 | 0.03 | |
| Bhai Taru Singh | VP Films | 16,200 (710) | 23 | 0.02 | |
| Custody | A-Z Films | 15,400 (1,540) | 10 | 0.02 | |
| Origami | Filmoption | 9,100(700) | 13 | 0.01 | |
| The House of Tomorrow | Shout! | 6,500 (810) | 8 | 0.01 | |
| Domestic Market Share (January 2 – April 26, 2018) | |||||
| Distributor (releases) | Box Office (millions) | Market Share | |||
| Buena Vista (6) | 946.1 | 26.70% | |||
| Warner Bros. (15) | 456.6 | 12.90% | |||
| Sony (9) | 389.4 | 11.00% | |||
| 20th Century Fox (8) | 375.3 | 10.60% | |||
| Universal (8) | 342.3 | 9.70% | |||
| Paramount (5) | 218.2 | 6.20% | |||
| Fox Searchlight (4) | 121.2 | 3.40% | |||
| Lionsgate (8) | 102.1 | 2.90% | |||
| Roadside Attractions (4) | 95.1 | 2.70% | |||
| STX (5) | 86.2 | 2.40% | |||
| Focus (4) | 63.5 | 1.80% | |||
| Entertainment (3) | 49.7 | 1.40% | |||
| MGM (2) | 37 | 1.00% | |||
| Neon (3) | 25.6 | 0.70% | |||
| CBS (1) | 23.5 | 0.65% | |||
| Aviron (1) | 22.8 | 0.65% | |||
| Other * (146) | 187.9 | 5.30% | |||
| 3542.5 | 100% | ||||
| * none greater than 0.5% | |||||
