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"Avengers: Endgame" is set to smash box office records around the globe

Photo: Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for Disney

Marvel's "Avengers: Endgame” opens Thursday night on 4,600 U.S. and Canadian screens — the most for any movie ever, AP's Jake Coyle writes.

The impact: Many theaters will stay open for 24 hours. Seventeen AMC Theatres won’t close for 72 hours straight. Presales set records on Fandango and Atom.

Buzz: Disney said "Endgame" grossed $107 million on Wednesday in China, where it first opened — the most lucrative single day ever in Chinese theaters.

  • The current opening weekend record is held by the last "Avengers" movie — "Infinity War," last year's prelude to "Endgame."
  • Reviews — 97% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes — have been among the best for any Marvel movie.

The big picture: "Endgame" will give a much-needed jolt to the box office, which is 16% behind the pace of 2018.

  • L.A. Times review: Thrilling "Endgame" ... The latest movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe brings satisfying closure to the blockbuster 22-film series.

Go deeper: "Black Panther" makes history at the box office

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