'Blown away': Avengers: Endgame is first film to surpass $1B opening weekend
Final film in blockbuster franchise makes cinematic history by reaching estimated $1.2B US box office
Avengers: Endgame has made box office history by surpassing $1 billion US globally at the box office during its opening weekend.
That's in a span of merely five days.
The final film in the blockbuster franchise, which sees superheroes such as Captain America, Iron Man and Thor reunite for one last battle to save the universe together, has reached an estimated $1.2 billion worldwide so far.
"We're just blown away by the support of the fans who want to see it so quickly, so early," said Greg Mason, Disney Canada's vice-president of marketing.
Mason said the massive numbers could be in part due to fans not wanting the film ruined by spoilers that appear so quickly on social media and in movie reviews.
"So many people had so much invested in these characters. Each one of them has a special journey in this one," said Mason.
The film had a reported budget of $400 million, though Disney Canada would not confirm the figure.
Black Widow, The Eternals scheduled for 2020
It beat out its predecessor, Avengers: Infinity War, which took 11 days to reach the billion dollar mark. Infinity War also previously held the record in Canada for biggest opening weekend, which Endgame has now eclipsed.
Avengers: Endgame also nabbed the same record in China, an unpredictable and hungry market Hollywood is desperately trying to win over.
Spider-Man: Far from Home is the next big superhero release scheduled for later this summer.
Both Black Widow and The Eternals are slated for next year. According to Mason, one will come out in May 2020 and the other in November, but which one will take which spot is uncertain.
Guardians of the Galaxy 3 is also on the horizon, with James Gunn again at the helm following his controversial firing and then re-hiring.
Marvel's production executive, Victoria Alonso, says the studio has "so much to share" but she could not give details about upcoming projects.
Watch: Marvel's Victoria Alonso on what's ahead in the Marvel universe
'We need to do better'
Asked about diversity in the Marvel universe, she answered carefully.
Alonso admitted there's a "deficit" of "some kinds of characters" and that calls for change are forcing decision-makers to evaluate future roles.
I can only tell you that in the future, we will be having many conversations about how inclusive our universe is."- Victoria Alonso, Marvel Studios executive
"I think that we need to do better," she said. "Hopefully we will and we are determined. We are invested. And I can only tell you that in the future we will be having many conversations about how inclusive our universe is."
Mason says "what lies ahead is incredibly exciting" as the bar for success continues to get higher. As the culmination of 22 films, Avengers: Endgame — not surprisingly — faced major expectations to deliver.
"So many films have struggled wrapping up," he said. "This is such a wonderful lesson."
With files from Eli Glasner