With less than a month to go before the world finds out how the Avengers beat Thanos in “Avengers: Endgame,” box office nerds can start thinking about how big of a debut the film will actually have. It’s already been predicted that in North America, ‘Endgame’ should likely contend for the largest opening weekend ever (which was set in 2018 by “Avengers: Infinity War”). But now, with the news that China is opening the film roughly the same time as the rest of the world, the question remains whether or not the worldwide gross of the latest ‘Avengers’ film could be the biggest ever.
Deadline is reporting that Disney/Marvel Studios has secured an April 24 release date for “Avengers: Endgame” in China. Yes, that’s before the rest of the world. And yes, sadly, that means that many will have to avoid the internet even if they plan on going to the first showing on opening night. But hey, Disney needs that Chinese box office.
Now, with the knowledge that China will factor into the worldwide opening weekend, box office analysts are predicting that we could be looking at a global gross at around $840 million for ‘Endgame’ in its first frame. That would easily shatter the worldwide record of $640.4 million set last year by ‘Infinity War.’ Why such a discrepancy in just a year’s time?
It’s difficult to imagine life before ‘Infinity War’ blew away box office records in 2018, but you might recall that the film did set records without China. The Chinese release of the last ‘Avengers’ film didn’t come until a full two weeks after the rest of the world saw the film. And even still, the Chinese opening weekend for the film was just below $200 million. So, if you take that $200 million, assume that nothing will change in a year, and add that to the record opening for ‘Infinity War,’ you’re looking at an $840 million gross. Of course, that number isn’t a true prediction, as we don’t know how ‘Endgame’ is tracking until closer to its release, but still, it’s an estimate that shouldn’t be overlooked.
Speaking of things that can’t be overlooked, we have to talk about Thanos’ butt. Seriously.
A fan theory has recently gone viral, which states that all the Avengers would have to do to defeat Thanos in this film is to have Ant-Man, played by Paul Rudd, shrink down, jump into Thanos’ anus, and then revert to his normal form, tears the Mad Titan into pieces.
It’s a ludicrous theory (while not entirely impossible) that Disney most likely would never let happen. But that hasn’t stopped the internet from keeping it alive through memes and whatnot. And that’s where Thanos actor Josh Brolin and ‘Endgame’ directors The Russo Brothers come in.
Recently, Josh Brolin posted a #TBT on his Instagram, timed perfectly for this recent viral sensation, showing the Thanos actor trying to squeeze something out while on the toilet. It’s a funny (perhaps unrelated) post that is keeping the Ant-Man-in-Thanos’-Butt meme alive. The Russos also joined the fun by changing their profile picture on Instagram to a Venn diagram that is an elaborate meme on the subject, as well. Good times.
Here are the Russos’ and Brolin’s recent social media mentions of the controversy:
https://www.instagram.com/p/BvkbvZSAFq9
“Avengers: Endgame” hits theaters in China on April 24, but everywhere else on April 26. Two new international posters have also been released, that you can find below: