‘Avengers: Endgame’ craze hits the UAE

Pre-sale tickets for ‘Avengers: Endgame’ have broken records across the UAE and the region, according to cinemas.

A representative for Vox Cinemas, which held a premiere on Tuesday night in Dubai, told Gulf News tabloid! that pre-sale tickets surpassed that of previous record holder, South Indian film ‘Baahubali: The Conclusion’, released in 2017. He did not, however, provide numbers. Reel Cinemas and a UAE distributor also confirmed the record-breaking feat.

‘Avengers: Endgame’ is the culmination to a 21-movie saga that began way back in 2008 with ‘Iron Man’. And UAE cinemas as well as fans have been waiting with eagerly. From 3am shows and 24-hour screenings to a premiere night that played out more like a carnival, the film, which officially released across the Middle East on Wednesday, had movie fans in the region in a frenzy.

More than 800 people were invited to the pre-screening on Tuesday night, with simultaneous shows held in Oman, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait.

“It’s just a lot of emotions right now. It’s like a roller-coaster... I’m going to see it tomorrow again... tomorrow, the day after, the weekend after and the weekend after that,” said Corleone Fernandes, a Dubai-based Marvel fan, post the premiere screening.

Globally, the film is expected to make a record-shattering $850-900 million (Dh3.1-3.3 billion) at the box office, according to The Hollywood Reporter. This included a potential all-time best of $270 million to $300 million in the United States, where it is releasing in 4,600 theatres, the widest release for a movie ever.