Avengers: Endgame has only been in theaters for three weeks, and as of this writing, it has already generated an unprecedented $2.5 billion (and counting) at the box-office, making it the second-highest-grossing film of all time worldwide, between 2009's Avatar (which holds the number one spot) and 1997's Titanic (now number 3), both directed by James Cameron. At this rate, it may be on track to overthrow the former film within the next couple of weeks.
Since 1975, only four other films in history have claimed the title of "highest grossing film" (or, most popular film, if you prefer) of all-time. These have included 1975's Jaws, 1977's Star Wars, 1982's E.T. : The Extra-Terrestrial, and 1993's Jurassic Park. Adjusted for inflation, four of these six aforementioned titles are in the top ten.
Reaching the same cinematic and moviegoing heights as the days of George Lucas and Steven Spielberg, Endgame directors (and siblings) Anthony & Joe Russo have helped craft not only a worthy conclusion to a franchise--in this case, the Marvel Cinematic Universe (or, MCU)--that was established over ten years ago. They have helped shepherd an overall arc of interlocking and interconnected stories that have transcended genres, ages, ethnicities and cultures.
Here are three specific reasons Avengers: Endgame has become a bona fide hit worldwide, beyond just its box-office intake.
(For those of you who haven't seen it yet, don't worry. This is a spoiler-free piece.)
1. Since 2008's Iron Man, it took twenty-one movies to lead to the MCU's conclusion. Furthermore, it's been a build-up of several movies and durations for the concluding story to come together and really mean anything. Marvel CEO and producer Kevin Feige said the same about Captain America: Civil War from 2016. (You can watch his interviews with Rotten Tomatoes in three parts as follows: Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3.)
2. Marvel has had eight billion-dollar hits, including The Avengers (2012), Iron Man 3 (2013), Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015), Captain America: Civil War (2016), Black Panther (2018), Avengers: Infinity War (2018), Captain Marvel (2019), and now Endgame, which features the six original Avengers from the 2012 blockbuster, in their reported final cinematic outing together a la Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country. The announcement that this film, along with the upcoming Spider-Man: Far From Home, will wrap up the MCU's first three phases (now declared "The Infinity Saga") is not an indication that the MCU is slowing down anytime soon.
More importantly, the traction and audience investment (ditto the critical acclaim) for this interconnected franchise has only been growing since then, as have criticisms over certain aspects of the MCU. Either way, the MCU has remained a hot topic throughout the last decade of pop culture.
At the same time, it was a question of what kind of roles would be filled in Endgame by such characters as Ant-Man, Captain Marvel, Hawkeye, the Hulk, and others who survived (and those who didn't) Thanos's polarizing actions at the end of last year's Infinity War. The same went for various theories about where the storyline would go, such as how the Quantum Realm (from the Ant-Man films) and (possibly) time travel would/might be used, and which main characters wouldn't make it out alive this time around.
3. Marvel has created and endured a brilliant marketing campaign. The film's trailers, as well as hashtags #DontSpoilTheEndgame and #ThanosDemandsYourSilence, did an amazing job keeping the plot as under wraps as possible. And it's that secrecy that has fueled high anticipation more than any other film Marvel has made up until now.
The Russo's are great at taking storylines into complete 180-degree directions, and creating exciting (if radical and shocking) theatrical experiences for the audience. Another thing they, perhaps, don't get enough credit for are how the character choices, dilemmas, unpredictabilities, and directions in their Marvel films really push the story forward. That's the kind of approach that, for one thing, requires second viewings or more in theaters.
Plus, the film's three-hour runtime creates an experience of epic storytelling and grand vision (no offense, Paul Bettany) that is unparalleled in the history of moviemaking. Sure, there have been many examples of franchises that have been built and have endured with many of the same cast and crew involved, from the original Star Trek films (1979-1991) to the Lord of the Rings trilogy (2001-2003) to Harry Potter (2001-2011). But how many franchises have been built on interlocking and interconnected stories, and have blown audiences away as much.
As the late Stan Lee would say, "Excelsior!"
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