This news will come as a shock to no one, but Deadline is reporting early projections of $200M domestic for Avengers: Infinity War's opening weekend. That's, um, that's pretty good. But it isn't GREAT. Why? Because Black Panther did $202M back in February, and the expectations for Infinity War are much higher.
If the numbers hold it will be an April record, besting the $147M debut of Furious 7. It's worth noting that Disney is downplaying expectations by setting projections between $175M-$200M. Gee, thanks for that, Disney. Whatever will you do?
But there is some disappointment in these numbers because they don't blow away Black Panther, and I think that's ridiculous. Black Panther is a special case, and I've predicted all along that it would finish the year ahead of Infinity War. The simple reason is that Black Panther appeals to your typical MCU fan who sees everything, but also an all-new audience who don't really care about superheroes. I have members of my family who have seen it three our four times and couldn't tell you the difference between Captain America and Captain Kangaroo. Infinity War, for all its decade-long buildup, doesn't touch that audience one bit.
No matter what, there will be plenty of bonuses handed out to Marvel Studios employees at year's end. Avengers: Infinity War opens April 27th. Got your ticket yet?
