Box Office: 'Avengers: Endgame' Hits Record $60M in Previews - Hollywood Reporter

Overseas, it also continues to smash records in its launch, pulling in $305 million on Wednesday and Thursday alone.

Disney and Marvel's Avengers: Endgame commenced its North American box office run with a staggering $60 million in Thursday night previews, setting a new record.

The previous crownholder for biggest preview gross was fellow Disney tentpole Star Wars: The Force Awakens ($57 million).

Overseas, Avengers: Endgame also continues to smash records since beginning to roll out on Wednesday. Its two-day gross is a massive $305 million, including a hefty chunk from China, for an early worldwide total of $365 million before the weekend officially beings.

Directed by the Russo brothers, Endgame is now on course for a record-shattering global launch of $950 million, if not more $1 billion. That could include a potential all-time best of $270 million to $300 million domestically, where the event pic is getting the widest release of all time, or 4,600 theaters.

The Russo brothers, who shot the movie back-to-back with last year's Infinity War, which is the current record holder for biggest global opening ($640.5 million) and biggest domestic launch ($257.6 million), not adjusted for inflation. (Infinity War earned $38 million in domestic previews.)

The nostalgia factor is running hot. Not only is Endgame a direct sequel to Infinity War, it's the culmination of the previous 21 titles in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, a blockbuster series of films that commenced with Iron Man in 2008 and established Kevin Feige's Marvel Studios as best in show.

Internationally, Endgame set opening day records in numerous markets, such as in China, where it grossed $107.5 million on Wednesday (through Thursday, that gross grew to $154.5 million).

The movie — which is pacing ahead of Infinity War everywhere — also posted the highest single gross in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Thailand, Australia, New Zealand, The Philippines, the U.K., Brazil, Egypt, Panama, Peru, Colombia, Argentina, Chile, Bolivia, Paraguay, Trinidad and Uruguay.