As we approach the midway point of 2018, I suppose now’s as good a time as any to take a look back at what an unbelievable year it’s been at the box office. Thus far, we’ve witnessed a trio of motion pictures earn rank inside the top ten domestic debuts of all-time in the form of Incredibles 2 ($180M), Black Panther ($202M) and Avengers: Infinity War ($257M) – the latter having done so in unprecedented fashion.
Speaking of the Anthony and Joe Russo-directed blockbuster, you might’ve heard that, upon becoming the fastest film to reach the $1 billion plateau, it finally smashed through the $2 billion barrier last week, a feat only ever achieved thrice before: Star Wars: The Force Awakens ($2.068B), Titanic ($2.187B) and Avatar ($2.788B). The third Avengers installment ($2.02B) also quickly joined the aforementioned Black Panther ($1.34B) inside the all-time worldwide gross top ten, the former sitting in the fourth position, with Ryan Coogler’s feature currently occupying the ninth spot.
Truth be told, however, most of the damage done at the ticket booth this year can be traced back to nfinity War and thankfully, review aggregation website, Rotten Tomatoes has compiled every box office record broken by the nineteenth MCU entry into a manageable laundry list, ideal for quick reference.
Impressive, eh? With the $2 billion mark now in the rearview mirror, and the theatrical run of Avengers: Infinity War coming to a close, the next big box office draw for the MCU will be Avengers 4, of course. I mean no disrespect to Ant-Man and the Wasp or Captain Marvel, but you and I both know that if any film has a chance at besting the Russo brothers at the ticket booth, it’s the next one to be directed by them.
Nevertheless, fans can still look forward to both the Peyton Reed-helmed sequel and Brie Larson’s MCU debut as Carol Danvers when they drop into theaters on July 6th and March 8th, respectively.
