Avengers: Endgame obliterates box office records with £1.2 billion weekend debut

Film surpassed expert predictions along with the earnings of its predecessor, Avengers: Infinity War

Avengers: Endgame has smashed box office records with a global ticket sales total estimated at $1.2 billion over the weekend.

According to the film's distributor, Walt Disney Co, the Marvel film generated an astonishing $350m in the US and Canada alone.

The total has far-surpassed analyst estimates, along with the previous record of $257.7 million set a year ago by Avengers: Infinity War.

Click through the gallery below to see our ranking of the Marvel films

Endgame features an all-star cast including Robert Downey Jr, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Chadwick Boseman, Chris Hemsworth, Chris Pratt, Don Cheadle and Paul Rudd.

The movie has received largely positive reviews from fans and critics alike, who are calling it one of the most emotional blockbusters from the MCU in recent years.

Reviewing for The Independent, Geoffrey McNab called it Marvel's "most emotional and complex superhero movie ever". Read the full review here.

One of the biggest talking points around the film has been the efforts by fans to avoid seeing or sharing spoilers before viewing the movie itself.

This weekend, a man was reportedly beaten up in Hong Kong after standing outside a cinema and shouting spoilers at fans queueing outside.