'Star Wars' Mark Hamill Congratulates Marvel Studios On 'Avengers: Infinity War' Box Office

The world of movies is full of many playful rivalries, though, ultimately, each movie is competing against every other movie that came before it both in attempting to tell an effective story and in attempting to become financially successful. Avengers: Infinity War not only dominated its competitors at the box office this weekend, but earned the highest-grossing opening weekend in history, pushing The Force Awakens from the top spot. Star Wars icon Mark Hamill took to Twitter to congratulate the film on its impressive feat.

The actor shared the official Star Wars account's congratulations tweet while adding, "Well done, Marvel Studios and Avengers: Infinity War. (FYI Iron Man: Wait until after she leaves if you're going to toss that away. Trust me on this one.) From Mark and everyone at the Hamill house!"

The Star Wars account offered their congratulations yesterday afternoon after seemingly waiting for the official numbers to be tallied to certify that the latest chapter of the Marvel Cinematic Universe did, in fact, best The Force Awakens by taking in $258 million domestically, more than $10 million more than the Star Wars record.

The tweet featured Rey handing Iron Man a lightsaber, adding the note, "From a galaxy far, far away...to Earth's Mightiest heroes, congratulations on the biggest opening weekend in history! From [Lucasfilm president] Kathy [Kennedy] and everyone at Lucasfilm!"

Some fans might not see this gesture as all that significant, given that Disney owns both Lucasfilm and Marvel, yet it serves as an acknowledgment of the power of storytelling being demonstrated in the MCU as it compares to the legacy of the Star Wars saga. 2015's The Force Awakens was the first sequel to 1983's Return of the Jedi and offered audiences an update on characters like Luke Skywalker, Leia Organa, and Han Solo, while Avengers: Infinity War brought together characters that have been depicted on screen for merely a decade.

Regardless of where the money gets deposited, it is a significant achievement for the MCU and those responsible for bringing it to life. In fact, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige has regularly noted how the Star Wars saga has shaped his outlook on making movies.

"One of the great things about Star Wars and one thing that I think is great about the Marvel characters from the comics and what we try to emulate in the movies is if you're the kind of person that wants to go see it on opening weekend, our job is to make sure you have a great time." Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige shared with The Star Wars Show. "If you want to see it a second time, our job is to make sure there's more there. Third, fourth, fifth time, still more there. And even the deeper you go, there'll be things to reward you. And I learned that directly from Star Wars and from those West End Sourcebooks."

Avengers: Infinity War is in theaters now.

Other upcoming Marvel Cinematic Universe films include Ant-Man and The Wasp on July 6th, Captain Marvel on March 8, 2019, and the fourth Avengers on May 3, 2019. The sequel to Spider-Man: Homecoming hits on July 5, 2019, and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 lands in 2020.

Which franchise do you prefer, the MCU or Star Wars? Let us know in the comments below!

[H/T Twitter, HamillHimself]