North American Box Office Hits Record $3.33 Billion in Second Quarter

By Dave McNary

LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – Blockbuster performances by “Avengers: Infinity War,” Incredibles 2,” and “Deadpool 2” have lifted the North American box office to a record $3.33 billion in the second quarter — the highest mark for any quarter.

The previous mark was set in the second quarter of 2015, when “Jurassic World,” “Avengers: Age of Ultron” and “Inside Out”  led the way to a $3.2 billion quarter.

The month of June finished 20.1% ahead of last year with an estimated record $1.27 billion. May finished 24% ahead of last year, and a record April was 26% ahead of last year.

AMC Theatres, the largest movie chain in the United States, saluted the studios for producing an attractive slate.

“There can be no doubt now that when Hollywood makes appealing movies, Americans flock to movie theatres in huge numbers,” said CEO Adam Aron. “The record setting quarter we just completed was the biggest in cinema history. We salute the magnificent job being done by our studio partners in creating the fabulous content that we in turn are putting on our screens

Aron also said Monday that the success is also the result of the continued dedication of exhibitors to provide improved amenities to our. He also touted the chain’s new monthly subscription plan, rolled out last week as a challenge to MoviePass, with subscribers able to attend three movie per week for a $19.95 monthly fee.

“Cutting edge marketing programs are also key drivers for increased movie going, including our AMC Stubs loyalty program and the new AMC Stubs A-List,” he said.

“” grossed $672.5 million domestically in the second quarter, followed by “” with $439.7 million and “” with $310.3 million.