Los Angeles — "Avengers: Endgame," the hugely-anticipated superhero series-ender from Marvel, set a new standard for Hollywood blockbusters this weekend with stunning hauls of $357 million in North America and $1.2 billion worldwide, industry data showed Monday.

The fourth and final chapter in the adventures of Iron Man, Hulk, Thor and company managed 43 times the domestic take of the No. 2 film, Marvel's "Captain Marvel," which made $8.3 million.

With a star-studded cast including Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Bradley Cooper and Josh Brolin, it took in a jaw-dropping $330 million in China alone, the highest ever opening in the Middle Kingdom.

With a sky-high 96 percent rating from critics on the Rotten Tomatoes reviews website, "Avengers" could lead to "the biggest revenue-generating summer (and year) in box office history," Comscore's Paul Dergarabedian said.

Packed with spectacular fight scenes, special effects, gags and tear-jerking moments, it almost doubled the previous world record opening weekend take held by its predecessor, "Avengers: Infinity War."

The movie cost around $500 million to make including marketing costs and was expected to break even during its debut weekend, a feat unheard of for a major blockbuster.

Entertainment media are predicting a final global take of up to $2.5 billion, which would give it a place among the most lucrative movies of all time alongside "Avatar" ($2.8 billion), "Titanic" ($2.2 billion), "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" ($2.07 billion), and "Infinity War" ($2.05 billion). — AFP