Avengers: Endgame has made box office history by reeling in a record-breaking $1.2bn (￡929m) in global ticket sales in its opening weekend.

The Disney (DIS) blockbuster, which is the 22nd offering from its Marvel Studios superhero franchise, broke the $1bn barrier in just five days.

“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 talent involved, and their collective passion, matched by the irrepressible enthusiasm of fans around the world,” said Walt Disney Studios Chairman Alan Horn in a statement.

Endgame’s runaway success smashed the previous record of $640m set by Disney’s Avengers: Infinity War, which was released last year. While it made $350m in the US alone, it also made $330.5m in the first five days in China.

Disney’s Marvel catalogue is proving to be one of its most lucrative offerings. Endgame is now the eighth Marvel Studios film to cross $1bn threshold and second to cross $1bn mark this year (Captain Marvel).

Globally, the films have have accumulated a collective $19.9bn to date — with four Avengers films (The Avengers, Avengers: Age of Ultron, Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame) accounting for nearly $6.2bn.

Shares in Disney have rocketed over the last year on its box office success and on a new streaming service that will house its entire catalogue.

“From the very beginning with Iron Man, all we’ve wanted to do was tell stories that brought these characters to life onscreen the way we’ve experienced them as fans of the comics,” said Kevin Feige, President, Marvel Studios.

“That we’ve had so many other successes in this journey leading to this unbelievable result with Avengers: Endgame has been almost entirely due to the fans around the world who have supported us through it all.”

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