Avengers: Infinity War box office collection could shatter half-a-billion-dollar mark on opening weekend

Marvel Studios has built a movie empire that has not only proved crowd-pleasing but also racked up box office profits to the tune of nearly $15 billion in the 10 years since Iron Man was released. The 2008 film, starring Robert Downey Jr as Iron Man, proved that superheroes not named Spider-Man, Superman and Batman could find massive audiences. [caption id=“attachment_4446671” align=“alignnone” width=“825”] Avengers: Infinity War promo. Image via Twitter[/caption] Avengers: Infinity War , the 19th film in the Marvel Studios universe, arrives Friday, and may break box office records in its opening weekend. The third Avengers film assembles characters and story lines developed over the years, including Captain America, Thor, the Guardians of the Galaxy and this year’s sensation, the Black Panther. According to Variety, Avengers: Infinity War is on track to earn between $225 million and $245 million in its North American debut, with a possibility of crossing the $250 million mark. If it does, the Marvel film could have the biggest debut of all time — a record currently held by 2015’s Star Wars: The Force Awakens, which opened to a whopping $247.96 million. Forbes reports that the film could make anywhere between $472 million to $498 million globally and potentially even shatter the half-billion-dollar mark. Directed by Joe and Anthony Russo, Avengers: Infinity War stars Robert Downey Jr, Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Jeremy Renner, Scarlett Johansson, Paul Bettany, Anthony Mackie, Paul Rudd, Elizabeth Olsen, Tom Holland, Benedict Cumberbatch, Chadwick Boseman, Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Bradley Cooper, Vin Diesel, Tom Hiddleston and Josh Brolin. (Also read — Before Avengers: Infinity War's Thanos, a look at MCU's best villains from Killmonger to Loki)