by: keaton marcus

There are two films gaming to be the biggest of the year—both domestically and internationally—Avengers: Endgame is opening on a couple weeks and is apart of the multi-billion dollar, interconnected franchise, Marvel Cinematic Universe. Otherwise, another sequel in a similar sci-fi franchise is the final instalment to the Star Wars franchise, The Rise of Skywalker which is certainly going to put up competition for the biggest of 2019.

Furthermore, Avengers: Endgame is the sequel to last year’s hit superhero flick, Infinity War—which garnered a 257.6M debut from 4,474 locations, before finishing with a massive 678.8M domestic finish, along with over two billion worldwide. Also, there are two other installments to the Avengers franchise—The Avengers debuted with 207.4M back in 2012, before finishing with 623.3M domestically, along with over 1.5 billion globally. The second film, Age of Ultron debuted with 191.2M in 2015, before ending with 459M domestically and 1.4 billion globally. All the installments are massive hits, but Infjnity War seems to be the biggest, creating a solid path for Endgame.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Avengers: Endgame is crushing Infinity War in pre-ticket sales, outpacing the picture 5-1. This can only go so far, but experts are still saying a 300M domestic three-day is suitable, which would be the biggest debut of all time. Internationally, reports are saying a 800M global debut is called for—obliterating the record. Considering the average 2.76x multiplier for Marvel movies—it would mean a massive domestic finish of 800M and a global ending of around 2.2B. However, we are seeing evidence that the picture may gross much higher. It all depends on critics.

The second film willing to take on Endgame, is the much-anticipated ninth and last installment to the Star Wars franchise—The Rise of Skywalker—which seems like the underdog here. However, since its initial release is not till December—there is no big evidence yet. Considering this, we take into mind the previous two movies in the newest trilogy, and their performances. Star Wars: The Force Awakens debuted with a massive 247.9M before finishing with a record-breaking 936.6M domestically, along with over two billion worldwide. The sequel, Star Wars: The Last Jedi opened to 220M before ending with 620.1M domestically and a lesser, but still solid 1.3 billion globally.

Considering this, the two movies score an average multiplier of 3.25x, which is a notable advantage against Marvel. Since this is truly the last movie in the franchise, fans should be more eager to see it than the previous two pictures. Based on this, a 248-300M debut looks very, very nice for the film. And the finish would be around 890M domestically—worldwide is still a mystery. While it’s start looks to be lower than the three-day for Endgame—however, Skywalker looks to throw some good punches in the long run—trying to crush competition.

NEW INFORMATION: Industry tracking sees Avengers: Endgame debuting around 200-250M—however, insiders thought the predictions were conservative—and they see a three-day of around 260-300M—which would be an opening record.

NEW INFORMATION: Box Office Mojo has updated the theater count—Avengers: Endgame is playing in an estimated 4,400 locations—meaning the final count should be topping 4,500.

NEW INFORMATION: Box Office Mojo updated the theater count once again, Endgame is playing in a massive 4,600+ locations—breaking the record for the widest release.

NEW INFORMATION: Updated weekend reports for Endgame track a debut of around 250-280M which could perhaps be a new opening record—also, some experts continue to say that a 300M three-day is not impossible.

NEW INFORMATION: Avengers: Endgame grossed over 169M on its opening day internationally, including with over 107M in China.

NEW INFORMATION: Avengers: Endgame posts massive 305M internationally in two days of global release.

NEW INFORMATION: Endgame garnered a record-breaking 60M from Thursday Night Previews, and is officially heading towards a 300M+ debut.

NEW INFORMATION: Avengers: Endgame broke more records, grossing 157.4M on its opening day domestically, heading towards a record-breaking 350M three-day. The film also has over 643M globally after three days in release.

NEW INFORMATION: Avengers: Endgame finally debuts domestically, opening with a massive 357.1M domestically and over 1.2B worldwide. 21 records, along with 44 single overseas market records.

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker Takes on Avengers: Endgame for Biggest Film of Year

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker Pros and Cons

Pro: J.J Abrams is back to direct

Con: The Last Jedi was disliked by fans

Pro: The hype is big, since its the last installment

Con: Franchise fatigue?? The ninth film???

Pro: The Force Awakens is beloved by fans

Pro: Running times for Star Wars tend to be around 2 hours

Avengers: Endgame Pros and Cons

Pro: The Russo brothers are still on board

Pro: Infinity War was a hit with fans

Pro: The last installment to The Avengers franchise

Pro: Fans still seem keen on watching

Pro: The original two films liked by fans

Con: Avengers: Endgame has a running time slightly over 3 HOURS

In conclusion, very early evidence suggests a 300M domestic debut for Endgame and a 274M opening for The Rise of Skywalker. When Endgame debuts in a couple weeks, we shall have more information.

Until then, it’s still a clash between two giants.