Can 'Pokémon Detective Pikachu' End The Box Office Reign Of 'Avengers: Endgame'?
(CNN) -- Can Pikachu beat Iron Man? That's the big question at the box office this weekend.
"Pokémon Detective Pikachu," Warner Bros.' live-action film set in the world of Pokémon, notched $5.7 million on its opening night Thursday. The film, which features Ryan Reynolds as the voice of Pikachu, is expected to make $50 million to $55 million at the North American box office this weekend, according to analysts.
An opening in that range would normally be enough to top the box office, but unfortunately for "Detective Pikachu," "Avengers: Endgame" is still in theaters.
"Endgame," Marvel's epic finale to the Avengers story, is entering its third weekend of release following its record-setting performance last month.
The film, which stars Robert Downey Jr. and Chris Evans, made $1.2 billion on its opening weekend -- a global record. It has made $2.3 billion so far, making it the second highest-grossing film in history.
"Endgame" has topped the box office in the last two weekends and it will likely do it again this weekend according to Shawn Robbins, chief analyst at Boxoffice.com.
"Its momentum will be hard to stop at this point," Robbins said of "Endgame." "Barring a major breakout by 'Detective Pikachu,' the odds slightly favor a three-peat for 'Avengers.'"
"Detective Pikachu" has potential, however, because the brand has a big fan base that spans multiple generations, according to Robbins.
It's also more family-friendly with a PG rating and shorter run time. "Detective Pikachu" clocks in at an hour and 44 minutes while "Endgame" is three hours long.
"That makes it an appealing option for parents with kids too young for the Marvel epic," Robbins said. "And the cuteness factor could be in play as those families drive Mother's Day business."
"Detective Pikachu" could make the majority of its money overseas, according to Robbins. Pokémon was born in Japan in 1996 as video game for Nintendo's Game Boy. Since then it's become one of the most popular children's media brand in the world.
"In the long run, 'Detective Pikachu' is likely to leave an even bigger footprint overseas due to the brand's enormous popularity in international markets," Robbins said. "It wouldn't be surprising to see around 70% or more of its global box office total claimed internationally."
The film also opens in China, the world's second biggest movie market, and other international countries this weekend.
The-CNN-Wire
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