MARVEL’S AVENGERS: ENDGAME shattered the record for biggest opening weekend with an estimated $350 million in ticket sales domestically and $1.2 billion globally, reaching a new pinnacle in the blockbuster era that the comic-book studio has come to dominate.

The Avengers finale far exceeded even its own expectations, according to studio estimates today.

The movie had been forecast to open between $260 million and $300 million in US and Canadian theaters, but moviegoers turned out in such droves that Endgame blew past the previous record of $257.7 million, set last year by Avengers: Infinity War when it narrowly surpassed The Force Awakens.

In one fell swoop, Endgame has already made more than movies like Skyfall, ‘Aquaman and The Dark Knight Rises grossed in their entire runs, not accounting for inflation.

Alan Horn, Disney chairman, credited Marvel Studios and its president, Kevin Feige, for challenging “notions of what is possible at the movie theater”.

“This weekend’s monumental success is a testament to the world they’ve envisioned, the talent involved, and their collective passion, matched by the irrepressible enthusiasm of fans around the world,” Horn said in a statement.

To accommodate demand, Disney released Endgame in more theaters — 4,662 in the US and Canada — than any opening before. Advance ticketing services set new records. Early ticket buyers crashed AMC’s website. And starting Thursday, some theaters even stayed open 72 hours straight.

“We’ve got some really tired staff,” said John Fithian, president and chief executive of the National Association of Theater Owners. “I talked to an exhibitor in Kansas who said, ‘I’ve never sold out a 7 am show on Saturday morning before,’ and they were doing it all across their circuit.”

Further boosting the results for Endgame were good reviews; it currently ranks as 96% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes, the best rating for any Marvel movie aside from Black Panther.