Despite new blockbuster competition, Avengers: Infinity War had a stellar Memorial Day weekend - and is now shouting distance from $2 billion at the global box office. Though no one doubted Avengers 3 would be a financial triumph, there was concern that the proximity of other tentpole films could diminish the epic Marvel team-up. But the change in release date for the film gave it a wide berth from the competition and helped lead Avengers: Infinity War to shatter records around the world. And despite the arrival Deadpool 2 and Solo: A Star Wars Story, the latest MCU movie still has some milestones in its future.

After busting pre-sale records and trailer views, it was clear that Avengers: Infinity War was going to be one of Marvel's biggest films. But its three-week lead on Deadpool 2 and the overwhelmingly positive reviews the movie received helped it to open big and quickly rack up accolades. The international stage was a major part of that, with Avengers 3 becoming Marvel's highest earner in China. Soon enough, the film will accomplish that feat domestically when it passes The Avengers at the box office, and shortly after that it will become only the fourth film to hit $2 billion.

Box Office Mojo has the three-day weekend numbers in, including estimates for what Memorial Day will bring. The big story, of course, is that Solo had a disappointing opening. The new Star Wars anthology film may barely crack $100 million domestically when the final long weekend numbers come in, meaning the film wasn't quite the competition to its Disney sibling as some worried. Avengers: Infinity War pulled in $17M at home, with another $4M expected to arrive today. Along with its international haul of $32.5M, that brings the movie to $1.9 billion globally.

Bruce Banner next to the Hulkbuster Gauntlet in Avengers Infinity War

Avengers: Infinity War needs a little less than $91M at the global box office to hit $2B, and that feat should be accomplished very soon. Last weekend, even as Deadpool 2 opened strong, Avengers 3 still managed $84.4M internationally and $29M domestically. With the three blockbusters now sharing the genre audience, however, the MCU's offering dropped considerably in its fifth weekend. It's tough to say just how it will do this week, but the film looks like it will hit $2B by at least next weekend - especially if Solo: A Star Wars Story continues to underperform.

Though Solo had the biggest Memorial Day weekend in four years, its overall performance has been the lowest of any of the new Star Wars films. In fact, it even opened lower than the prequels. Its critical reception, meanwhile, has been fairly mixed, an issue Avengers 3 and Deadpool 2 didn't have. What's more, being the third of three blockbusters released within a month certainly didn't help, nor did the film's botched marketing or behind-the-scenes problems.

The ultimate fate of Solo and the spinoff films is up in the air for Star Wars, but Marvel's year will only be getting better. While Ant-Man & the Wasp will almost certainly be the least financially successful of the three MCU movies this year, the strength of Black Panther and Avengers: Infinity War mean Marvel has more than won the year.

MORE: Infinity War: Thanos 'Snap' Scene Was Originally in Avengers 4

Source: Box Office Mojo

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