In its opening weekend, Eternals earned an estimated $161.7 million (about Rs. 1,199 crores) at the global box office, propelling the newest Marvel film to second place on the list of Hollywood’s best opening weekends in 2021. The first is F9, called Fast & Furious 9, which grossed $162.4 million (about Rs. 1,204 crores) – it had the benefit of China, which Eternals does not, but it also had a massively staggered release schedule, giving it a less than fair comparison. Eternals’ $161.7 million opening weekend was split into two parts: $71 million (about Rs. 526 crores) from US and Canadian theatres, and $90.7 million (roughly Rs. 672 crores) from 46 territories across the world.
Eternals’ $71 million North American debut is a bit disappointing, considering it’s not only below box office analyst projections, but also the lowest for a Marvel Cinematic Universe title ever. Ant-Man ($57.2 million) was the previous low. Due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, a direct comparison is impossible. Despite Black Widow ($80.4 million) and Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings ($94.7 million) being available at home via Disney+ Premier Access, the other two Marvel films released during the COVID-19 pandemic, Black Widow ($80.4 million) and Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings ($94.7 million), both fared better. (If Disney+ revenue is taken into account, Black Widow’s debut weekend is the most successful.)
Outside of North America, however, the Eternals are outperforming Black Widow and Shang-Chi. In like-for-like markets, the $90.7 million figure was more than predicted, with Disney estimating it to be 26% higher than Black Widow and 76% higher than Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. Except for India, where Sooryavanshi is the reason it isn’t number one, Eternals debuted at number one in all 46 of those markets. On its debut weekend in India, Eternals grossed an estimated $3 million (Rs. 22.8 crores). South Korea ($14.1 million), the United Kingdom ($7.1 million), France ($6.7 million), Mexico ($5.7 million), and Australia ($5 million) round out the top five.
