New York | The universe belongs to Marvel. Avengers: Endgame shattered the record for biggest opening weekend with an estimated $US350 million ($497 million) in ticket sales domestically and $US1.2 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 gargantuan expectations, according to studio estimates Sunday. The movie had been forecast to open between $US260 million and $US300 million in US and Canadian theatres, but moviegoers turned out in such droves that Endgame blew past the previous record of $US257.7 million, set last year by Avengers: Infinity War when it narrowly surpassed Star Wars: The Force Awakens ($US248 million or about $US266 million in inflation-adjusted dollars.)

AAP