‘Avengers’ reaches $2 billion landmark

LOS ANGELES - “Avengers: Endgame” continued its global domination at the box office in a second week victory lap that saw the blockbuster cross the $2 billion mark in record time and unseat “Titanic” as the second highest-grossing film ever worldwide.

In North America, newcomers, including thrillers (“The Intruder”), well-reviewed comedies (“Long Shot”) or animated family fare (“Uglydolls”) were left in the dust to pick up the scraps.

The Walt Disney Co. estimated Sunday that “Endgame” added $145.8 million from North American theaters and $282.2 million internationally bringing its global total to $2.2 billion. “Endgame” is one of five movies to ever reach that threshold and, not accounting for inflation, is now second worldwide only to the $2.8 billion by “Avatar.” “Avatar” reached $2 billion in 47 days of release compared with 11 for “Endgame,” although in 2009 the theatrical landscape was different, most notably so in China.

“The sprint to $2 billion is unbelievable. We’re in uncharted territory,” said Paul Dergarabedian, the senior media analyst for Comscore. “Usually films like this are marathoners.”

To reach the global record of “Avatar,” however, “Endgame” will have to turn into a marathoner itself and the summer movie season is only going to get more competitive.

Still, “it’s got a real chance at getting there,” Dergarabedian said.

“Endgame,” which is still playing on 4,662 screens in North America, scored the second biggest second weekend ever with a sum that would be impressive for any film on opening weekend. Even its 59 percent drop is notable considering how front-loaded it was. “Endgame” has now grossed $619.7 million in North America, making it the ninth biggest of all time, behind “Star Wars: The Last Jedi.”

New films entering the marketplace hardly stood a chance, but some saw success even in the shadow of “Endgame.”

In second place, “The Intruder,” a modestly budgeted ($8 million) thriller with Dennis Quaid and Meagan Good, survived poor reviews and did the best of the batch with $11 million in box office receipts. The Sony/Screen Gems film was released on 2,222 screens.

Although close behind on the charts in third place, Lionsgate and Point Grey’s “Long Shot,” a politically-themed romantic comedy with Seth Rogen and Charlize Theron, failed to make a significant dent against its pricier budget. The film grossed an estimated $10 million from 3,230 screens, against a reported $40 million budget. But word-of-mouth could also help propel “Long Shot” to profits ultimately.

The unluckiest of the new movies was “Uglydolls,” an animated film based on the toys featuring the voices of Kelly Clarkson, Nick Jonas, Blake Shelton and Janelle Monae, which placed fourth with $8.5 million. STXfilms’ first animated feature cost $45 million to produce after production rebates.

Industry-wide, the continued success of “Endgame” has also helped the box office deficit, which went from down 13.2 percent last weekend to down 10.9 percent this weekend. And Dergarabedian said that the industry may be on its way to a record summer, still.

“It’s not just about one movie this summer,” he said. “There’s a lot more to come from every studio. Diversity of content will rule the day.”

AP