Avengers: Age of Ultron is expected to open on May 1 while on the next day, Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao are expected to fight. The Mayweather vs. Pacquiao fight is one of the biggest and most important in boxing history, which means it could potentially cause problems for Marvel.
Could it really cause a problem? Chances are, the Mayweather vs. Pacquiao fight could be problematic for Avengers: Age of Ultron just on May 2, but the days following the event would be fine. This is the biggest fight of the year, and Mayweather is a man with pulling power, so Marvel could lose earnings on day one.
However, any possible losses from day one would likely be regained in the days after because by then folks would be talking about the fight but Avengers would still be available for viewing in hundreds of theaters across the United States.
The big problem here for Marvel is if the fight turns out to be something special. An extraordinary fight means folks would focus their attention on the fight for days or even weeks, and the media would do the same. It could overshadow Age of Ultron, pushing it away from the minds of moviegoers who are also fans of boxing.
At the end of the day, Avengers: Age of Ultron going up against Mayweather and Pacquiao could only be a disadvantage for Marvel should the fight cause the world to stand and watch for days. Age of Ultron could never be an issue for this boxing match because the fight is only for a single day, which means the smart folks would choose to watch Mayweather win one more match over another comic book film.
Despite the possibilities of the first day ticket sales slowing down, Avengers: Age of Ultron has a high chance of earning $1 billion at the box office. If it fails to do so, one should not blame Mayweather and Pacquiao. Blame it on people being tired of watching another cheesy Marvel film, but that's only if it fails to hit that adored $1 billion mark.
Avengers: Age of Ultron is the second Avengers film, and the Mayweather versus Pacquiao fight is long overdue.
