Marvel’s new superhero movie Avengers: Infinity War has overhauled Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ opening-weekend record at the US box office, earning an estimated total of $258.2m since its release on Friday, almost $11m ahead of The Force Awakens’ total in 2015.

Infinity War has also broken the record for a first weekend at the global box office as it posted a total of $640.9m, trouncing the previous best of $541.9m set by The Fate of the Furious in 2017.

Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst for box office tracker comScore, said: “Marvel methodically created the perfect blueprint for the success of Avengers: Infinity War over the past year by delivering four great films in a row in the run up to this monumental weekend. Having all these great characters in one perfectly presented popcorn movie made it a pop culture phenomenon – the very definition of ‘must see’ cinema.”

On its way to dethroning Star Wars: The Force Awakens as the highest-earning opening film in the US and Canada, Infinity War recorded the highest-ever take for a Saturday ($83m) and Sunday ($61m). Box-office projections had suggested the film would reach $235m, and so was always on course to outdo all previous Marvel films, whose previous first-weekend record holder was The Avengers with $207m in 2012. Six of the top 10 highest opening films, however, are Marvel superhero movies, including Black Panther, Avengers: Age of Ultron and Iron Man 3.

Outside the US, Infinity War scored a number of records across the world, including scoring biggest-ever opening weekend totals in the Philippines, Korea, Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia. The UK was the largest-earning territory behind the US, with $42.2m, though the film failed to overtake Spectre or The Force Awakens. Infinity War has still to open in two other major markets, Russia and China.

Dergarabedian adds: “The results make total sense. The international marketplace is a key influencer on the content of and point of view of all Marvel movies.”

Top 10 opening-weekend grossers at the US box office

1. Avengers: Infinity War (2018) – $258.2m
2. Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015) – $247.9m
3. Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017) – $220m
4. Jurassic World (2015) – $208.8m
5. The Avengers (2012) – $207.4m
6. Black Panther (2018) – $202m
7. Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015) – $191.2m
8. Captain America: Civil War (2016) – $179.1m
9. Beauty and the Beast (2017) – $174.7m
10. Iron Man 3 (2013) – $174.1m

Source: Box Office Mojo