Endgame Now Biggest Blockbuster Of All Time. But Is It Deserving?

If you’ve been living under a rock, “Avengers: Endgame” is now the biggest blockbuster film of all time, surpassing multiple records. It made an estimated $1.2 billion at the worldwide box office for its opening weekend alone. It is the only film in history to cross the $1 billion mark for its debut week, breaking the previous records by hundreds of millions of dollars. Its prequel "Avengers: Infinity War" formerly held the record making $640 million for its opening last year. The film, which opened internationally last Wednesday, took just 5 days to cross $1 billion. The film also shattered the opening record in North America.

The Marvel film somehow exceeded its own huge expectations. Film critics vastly underestimated the Marvel comic’s popularity, predicted last week that the film could make anywhere from $260 million to $300 million domestically.

The film grossed an estimated $859 million internationally which far exceeds the record for the biggest opening weekend internationally, which was held by 2017's “The Fate of the Furious." The film's global domination was propelled by China. "Endgame" made $330.5 million there, which is the highest-grossing debut ever in China.

Marvel Studios has made nearly $20 billion at the worldwide box office over the last 10 years. Though 'Endgame' is far from an end for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, these first 22 films constitute a sprawling achievement, and this weekend's monumental success is a testament to the world they've envisioned. 

The film was also a huge hit with the critics. The film, which clocks in at roughly three hours, has garnered acclaim from critics and moviegoers, holding a 96% score on Rotten Tomatoes and an A+ CinemaScore

"Endgame" became a cinematic event with thousands of sell outs and movie theater chains “‘Endgame’ represents the culmination of a decade long commitment of Marvel to the audience and the fans devotion to the beloved characters.

So what makes “Avengers: Endgame” so popular? There are of course many reasons but at the core of it is the eternal fight between good and evil. When people are either good or evil, it simplifies the complexities of life. It becomes pure escapism, far from the choices we have to make on a regular basis. In real life, good doesn’t always triumph over evil. We only need to turn to the news to realize this fact. The school shooter kills innocent children, the terrorist blows up the churches, and the politicians take bribes without consequences.  

Virtually all our mass-culture narratives have the same structure: good guys battle bad guys for the moral future of society. These tropes are all over our movies – in Narnia, in Middle Earth and at Hogwarts. In these stories, the good guy always wins and the bad guy always is destroyed. We love the consistency of these stories.
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The second reason is that Marvel has built up all theses amazing characters over ten years with 21 films. Everybody is here. Iron Man will put on his Armour for the last time. Captain America will take the shield for one more time. Hemsworth will lift his hammer for one final fight. These characters have entertained us for so many years. So, we all want to witness their final battle. Marvel’s “Avengers: Endgame” is the end of a decade-long saga. Everyone has a favourite superhero that they route for -- often one they grew up reading about in childhood comic books.

While "Avengers: Endgame" is being marketed as the end of the Avengers, Marvel will, no doubt, find a way to continue the series. It's too lucrative to truly be the end.