Avengers: Infinity War
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Anthony Russo Joe Russo
Screenplay by	Christopher Markus Stephen McFeely
Produced by	Kevin Feige
Starring	Robert Downey Jr. Chris Hemsworth Mark Ruffalo Chris Evans Scarlett Johansson Benedict Cumberbatch Don Cheadle Tom Holland Chadwick Boseman Paul Bettany Elizabeth Olsen Anthony Mackie Sebastian Stan Danai Gurira Letitia Wright Dave Bautista Zoe Saldana Josh Brolin Chris Pratt
Cinematography	Trent Opaloch
Edited by	Jeffrey Ford[1] Matthew Schmidt
Music by	Alan Silvestri
Production company	Marvel Studios
Distributed by	Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
Release dates	April 23, 2018 (2018-04-23) (Dolby Theatre) April 27, 2018 (2018-04-27) (United States)
Running time	149 minutes[2]
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$316–400 million[3][4][5]
Box office	$1.969 billion[6]

Avengers: Infinity War is a 2018 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics superhero team the Avengers, produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. It is the sequel to 2012's The Avengers and 2015's Avengers: Age of Ultron, and the nineteenth film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). The film is directed by Anthony and Joe Russo, written by Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, and features an ensemble cast including Robert Downey Jr., Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Benedict Cumberbatch, Don Cheadle, Tom Holland, Chadwick Boseman, Paul Bettany, Elizabeth Olsen, Anthony Mackie, Sebastian Stan, Danai Gurira, Letitia Wright, Dave Bautista, Zoe Saldana, Josh Brolin, and Chris Pratt. In Avengers: Infinity War, the Avengers and the Guardians of the Galaxy attempt to stop Thanos from amassing the all-powerful Infinity Stones.

The film was announced in October 2014 as Avengers: Infinity War – Part 1. The Russo brothers came on board to direct in April 2015 and by May, Markus and McFeely had signed on to write the script for the film, which drew inspiration from Jim Starlin's 1991 The Infinity Gauntlet comic and Jonathan Hickman's 2013 Infinity comic. In 2016, Marvel shortened the title to Avengers: Infinity War. Filming began in January 2017 at Pinewood Atlanta Studios in Fayette County, Georgia, and lasted until July 2017, shooting back-to-back with an untitled direct sequel. Additional filming took place in Scotland, England, the Downtown Atlanta area, and New York City. With an estimated budget in the range of $316–400 million, it is one of the most expensive films ever made.

Avengers: Infinity War held its world premiere on April 23, 2018 in Los Angeles and was released in the United States on April 27, 2018, in IMAX and 3D. The film received praise for the performances of the cast (particularly Brolin), visual effects, emotional weight of the story, and action scenes. It has grossed over $1.9 billion worldwide, making it the fourth highest-grossing film of all time, as well as the highest-grossing film of 2018, the highest-grossing superhero film, and the sixth highest-grossing film in the United States and Canada. In its opening weekend, it grossed $641 million worldwide and $258 million domestically, setting the records for the highest-grossing openings for both. It also became the fastest film in history to reach a worldwide gross of $1 billion, doing so in 11 days. The untitled sequel is set to be released on May 3, 2019.

Plot

Having acquired the Power Stone from the planet Xandar, Thanos and his lieutenants—Ebony Maw, Cull Obsidian, Proxima Midnight, and Corvus Glaive—intercept the spaceship carrying the survivors of Asgard's destruction.^{[N 1]} As they extract the Space Stone from the Tesseract, Thanos subdues Thor, overpowers Hulk, and kills Loki. Heimdall sends Hulk to Earth using the Bifröst before Thanos executes him. Thanos then departs with his lieutenants and obliterates the spaceship.

Hulk crash-lands at the Sanctum Sanctorum in New York City, reverting to Bruce Banner. He warns Stephen Strange and Wong about Thanos' plan to kill half of all life in the universe; in response, Strange recruits Tony Stark. Maw and Obsidian arrive to retrieve the Time Stone from Strange, drawing the attention of Peter Parker. Maw captures Strange, but fails to take the Time Stone due to an enchantment. Stark and Parker pursue Maw's spaceship, Banner contacts Steve Rogers, and Wong stays behind to guard the Sanctum.

In Scotland, Midnight and Glaive ambush Wanda Maximoff and Vision in order to retrieve the Mind Stone in Vision's forehead. Rogers, Natasha Romanoff, and Sam Wilson rescue them and take shelter with James Rhodes and Banner at the Avengers Compound. Vision offers to sacrifice himself by having Maximoff destroy the Mind Stone to keep Thanos from retrieving it. Rogers suggests they travel to Wakanda, which he believes has the resources to remove the stone without destroying Vision.

The Guardians of the Galaxy respond to a distress call from the Asgardian ship and rescue Thor, who surmises Thanos seeks the Reality Stone, which is in the possession of the Collector on Knowhere. Rocket and Groot accompany Thor to Nidavellir, where they and Eitri - whose brethren were recently slaughtered by Thanos - create a battle-axe capable of killing Thanos. On Knowhere, Peter Quill, Gamora, Drax, and Mantis find Thanos with the Reality Stone already in his possession. Thanos kidnaps Gamora, his adoptive daughter, and forces her to reveal the location of the Soul Stone; she complies in order to save her captive foster sister Nebula from torture. Thanos and Gamora travel to Vormir, where they meet the Soul Stone keeper, Red Skull, who informs him the stone can only be retrieved by sacrificing someone he loves. Thanos reluctantly throws Gamora to her death, earning the stone.

Nebula escapes captivity and asks the remaining Guardians to meet her on Thanos' destroyed homeworld, Titan. Stark and Parker kill Maw and rescue Strange. Landing on Titan, they meet Quill, Drax, and Mantis. The group forms a plan to remove Thanos' Infinity Gauntlet after Strange uses the Time Stone to view millions of possible futures, seeing only one in which Thanos loses. Thanos arrives, justifying his plans as necessary to ensure the survival of a universe threatened by overpopulation. The group subdues him until Nebula deduces that Thanos has killed Gamora. Enraged, Quill attacks him, allowing Thanos to break the group's hold and overpower them. Stark is critically wounded by Thanos, but is spared after Strange surrenders the Time Stone to Thanos.

In Wakanda, Rogers reunites with Bucky Barnes before Thanos' army invades. The Avengers, alongside T'Challa and the Wakandan forces, mount a defense while Shuri works to extract the Mind Stone from Vision. Banner, unable to transform into the Hulk, fights in Stark's Hulkbuster armor. Thor, Rocket, and Groot arrive to reinforce the Avengers; Midnight, Obsidian, and Glaive are killed and their army is routed. Thanos arrives and despite Maximoff's attempt to destroy the Mind Stone, removes it from Vision, killing him.

Thor severely wounds Thanos, but Thanos activates the completed Infinity Gauntlet and teleports away. Half of all life across the universe disintegrates, including Barnes, T'Challa, Groot, Maximoff, Wilson, Mantis, Drax, Quill, Strange, and Parker. Stark and Nebula remain on Titan while Banner, M'Baku, Okoye, Rhodes, Rocket, Rogers, Romanoff, and Thor are left on the Wakandan battlefield. Elsewhere, Thanos watches a sunrise on another planet.

In a post-credits scene, Nick Fury transmits a signal as he, Maria Hill, and countless others disintegrate. The transmitter displays a starburst insignia on a red-and-blue background.^{[N 2]}

Cast

• Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark / Iron Man: Template:Cast list break
• Chris Hemsworth as Thor: Template:Cast list break
• Mark Ruffalo as Bruce Banner / Hulk: Template:Cast list break
• Chris Evans as Steve Rogers / Captain America: Template:Cast list break
• Scarlett Johansson as Natasha Romanoff / Black Widow: Template:Cast list break
• Don Cheadle as James "Rhodey" Rhodes / War Machine: Template:Cast list break
• Benedict Cumberbatch as Dr. Stephen Strange: Template:Cast list break
• Tom Holland as Peter Parker / Spider-Man: A teenager and Stark's protegé who received spider-like abilities after being bitten by a genetically-modified spider.^[8]
• Chadwick Boseman as T'Challa / Black Panther: The king of the African nation of Wakanda, who gained his enhanced strength by ingesting the Heart-Shaped Herb.^[9][10]
• Zoe Saldana as Gamora: A member of the Guardians of the Galaxy, who is an orphan from an alien world and raised by Thanos, seeking redemption for her past crimes.^[11] Ariana Greenblatt portrays a young Gamora.^[12]
• Paul Bettany as Vision: Template:Cast list break
• Elizabeth Olsen as Wanda Maximoff / Scarlet Witch: A member of Rogers' faction of Avengers, who can harness magic and engage in hypnosis and telekinesis.^[13]
• Anthony Mackie as Sam Wilson / Falcon: Template:Cast list break
• Sebastian Stan as Bucky Barnes / Winter Soldier: Template:Cast list break
• Danai Gurira as Okoye: An "extremely proud" Wakandan and traditionalist from the Border Tribe, who is the head of the Dora Milaje, the all-female special forces of Wakanda, who serve as T'Challa's bodyguards.^[14]

• Dave Bautista as Drax the Destroyer: A member of the Guardians and warrior in search of vengeance against Thanos for killing his family.^[15] At the end of each day of filming, Bautista would have to sit in a sauna to remove his makeup.^[16]
• Josh Brolin as Thanos: Template:Cast list break
• Chris Pratt as Peter Quill / Star-Lord: Template:Cast list break
• Karen Gillan as Nebula: An adopted daughter of Thanos who was raised with Gamora as siblings.^[17]
• Tom Hiddleston as Loki: Thor's adoptive brother, based on the Norse mythological deity of the same name.^[18]
• Idris Elba as Heimdall: The all-seeing, all-hearing Asgardian former sentry of the Bifröst Bridge, based on the Norse mythological deity of the same name.^[19]
• Peter Dinklage as Eitri: King of the Dwarves of Nidavellir, and weaponsmith, based on the Norse mythological deity of the same name.^[20]
• Benedict Wong as Wong: One of the Masters of the Mystic Arts, tasked with protecting some of Kamar-Taj's most valuable relics and books.^[21]
• Pom Klementieff as Mantis: A member of the Guardians with empathic powers.^[22]
• Vin Diesel as Groot: Template:Cast list break
• Bradley Cooper as Rocket: Template:Cast list break
• Gwyneth Paltrow as Pepper Potts: Template:Cast list break
• Benicio del Toro as Taneleer Tivan / The Collector: One of the Elders of the Universe, who is an obsessive keeper of the largest collection of interstellar fauna, relics, and species of all manner in the galaxy.^[23]
• Letitia Wright as Shuri: T'Challa's 16-year-old sister and the princess of Wakanda who designs new technology for the country.^[24]

Additionally, several other actors reprise their MCU roles: William Hurt as Thaddeus Ross, the U.S. Secretary of State;^[25] Kerry Condon as the voice of Stark's A.I. F.R.I.D.A.Y.;^[26] Winston Duke as M'Baku, the leader of Wakanda's mountain tribe the Jabari; Florence Kasumba as Ayo, a member of the Dora Milaje;^[27] Jacob Batalon as Parker's friend Ned;^[28] Isabella Amara as Parker's classmate Sally;^[29] Tiffany Espensen as Parker's classmate Cindy;^[30] and Ethan Dizon as Parker's classmate Tiny.^[31] Samuel L. Jackson and Cobie Smulders make uncredited cameos as Nick Fury and Maria Hill, the former director and deputy director of S.H.I.E.L.D, respectively, in the film's post-credits scene.^[32]

Thanos' henchmen, known collectively in the comics as the Black Order and in the film as the "Children of Thanos",^[33] include Terry Notary as Cull Obsidian,^[34][35] Tom Vaughan-Lawlor as Ebony Maw,^[36][37] Carrie Coon as Proxima Midnight,^[35] and Michael James Shaw as Corvus Glaive.^[38] The foursome provided voices and motion-capture performances on set for their characters.^[39][38] As Coon was pregnant during filming, she mainly did facial capture for Proxima Midnight with some motion-capture,^[40] with stuntwoman Monique Ganderton standing-in and providing the rest on set.^[41] Ross Marquand portrays Johann Schmidt / Red Skull, the "Stonekeeper" and former Nazi commander of Hydra during World War II. Marquand replaces Hugo Weaving, who had expressed reluctance to reprise the character from Captain America: The First Avenger.^[20][42] Avengers co-creator Stan Lee makes a cameo appearance in the film as Parker's school bus driver,^[20] while screenwriter Stephen McFeely cameos as Secretary Ross's aide.^[43] David Cross was invited to make a cameo appearance as Tobias Fünke, his character from the sitcom Arrested Development, which the Russo brothers had previously worked on; this was prevented by a scheduling conflict, but Fünke still appears in the film as a specimen in the Collector's collection, played by an uncredited extra.^[44]

Production

In October 2014, Marvel announced a two-part sequel to Avengers: Age of Ultron, titled Avengers: Infinity War. Part 1 was scheduled to be released on May 4, 2018, with Part 2 scheduled for May 3, 2019.^[45][46] In April 2015, Marvel announced that Anthony and Joe Russo would direct both parts of Avengers: Infinity War,^[47] with back-to-back filming expected to begin in 2016.^[48] The same month, Kevin Feige said that the Infinity War films would be two distinct films "because they [have] such shared elements, it felt appropriate... to [subtitle the films] like that. But I wouldn't call it one story that's cut in half. I would say it's going to be two distinct movies."^[49] By May 2015, Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely had signed on to write the screenplays for both parts of the film,^[50] which draws inspiration from Jim Starlin's 1991 "The Infinity Gauntlet" comic and Jonathan Hickman's 2013 "Infinity" comic.^[51] Anthony Russo added the film was inspired by 1990s heist films, with Thanos "on a smash-and-grab [to acquire the Infinity Stones], and everybody's trying to catch up the whole movie."^[52] In May 2016, the Russos revealed that they would retitle the two films, to further remove the misconception that they were one large film split in two, with Joe stating, "The intention is we will change [the titles], we just haven't come up with [them] yet."^[53] That July, Marvel revealed the film's title would be shortened to simply Avengers: Infinity War.^[54]

Principal photography began on January 23, 2017,^[55] under the working title Mary Lou,^[56] at Pinewood Atlanta Studios in Fayette County, Georgia,^[57] with Trent Opaloch as director of photography.^[58] In early February, Marvel confirmed the involvement of Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark / Iron Man, Chris Pratt as Peter Quill / Star-Lord, and Tom Holland as Peter Parker / Spider-Man in the film.^[8] Additional filming took place in Scotland beginning in February 2017. The filming occurred in Edinburgh, Glasgow and the Scottish Highlands,^[59] with studio work taking place at Wardpark Studios in Cumbernauld.^[60][61] Filming also began at Durham Cathedral in Durham, England in early May 2017.^[62] In late June 2017, filming occurred in Downtown Atlanta,^[63] as well as Atlanta's Central Park in early July,^[64] before moving to Queens, New York in the middle of the month.^[65] Filming concluded on July 14, 2017.^[66] For the film's final scene, where Thanos emerges healed in a nipa hut, the filmmakers partnered with Indochina Productions, a studio based in Thailand, to acquire footage of the Banaue Rice Terraces at Ifugao, Philippines.^[67]

Later in July 2017, Joe Russo stated there were a couple of unfinished scenes for Infinity War that would be shot "in the next few months".^[68] In early March 2018, Disney moved the release of Infinity War in the United States to April 27, 2018, to have it be released the same weekend as some of its international markets.^[69][70] Visual effects for the film were created by Industrial Light & Magic,^[71] Framestore,^[72] Method Studios,^[73] Weta Digital, Double Negative, Cinesite, Digital Domain, Rise, Lola VFX, and Perception.^[74] With an estimated budget in the range of $316–400 million,^[3][4][5] it is one of the most expensive films ever made.^[75]

Music

In June 2016, Alan Silvestri, who composed the score for The Avengers, was revealed to be returning to score both Infinity War and its sequel.^[76] Silvestri started to record his score in January 2018,^[77] and concluded in late March. Silvestri felt working on the film "was a really different experience than anything I'd done before, especially in regard to the approach and balancing quick shifts in tone."^[78] Ludwig Göransson's theme from Black Panther is also used in the film.^[79] Hollywood Records and Marvel Music released the soundtrack album digitally on April 27, 2018, with a release on physical formats following on May 18. Two versions were released, a regular and deluxe edition, with the deluxe edition featuring some extended and additional tracks.^[80]

Release

Avengers: Infinity War held its world premiere at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles on April 23, 2018, screening also at the adjacent El Capitan Theatre and Grauman's Chinese Theatre.^[81] It was released in most countries worldwide, including the United States, on April 27, 2018, with a few debuts beginning as early as April 25,^[69] and was shown in IMAX and 3D on select screens.^[82][83] In the United States, the film opened in 4,474 theaters, 408 of which were IMAX; this was the widest release for a Disney title ever and the second-widest ever after Despicable Me 3's 4,529 theaters. Three of AMC Theatres' locations screened the film for 24 hours straight, with 53 of their locations having showtimes at either 2 AM or 3 AM to accommodate demand.^[84] In India, the film had the biggest release ever for a Hollywood film, opening on nearly 2,000 screens in four languages.^[85] The film also screened in 515 4DX theaters in 59 countries.^[86] It was originally scheduled to be released on May 4, 2018 in the United States.^[45][46] The Chinese release of the film, which opened on May 11, 2018,^[87] was originally scheduled to end on June 10, 2018, but was granted a "rare" extension of 30 days, to end on July 9, 2018.^[88]

Select footage from the film was screened around various cities during the film's press tour in early April, ahead of the film's Los Angeles premiere. The Russos noted that only a limited amount of the film would be shown at these screenings to reduce the chance of spoilers being leaked. Adam Chitwood of Collider commented that this was "highly unusual as most Marvel movies are screened in their entirety for press about a month before they hit theaters."^[89] Ahead of the United States release, AMC Theatres in New York City and Orlando, Florida aired an eleven-MCU film marathon beginning on April 25, leading to a screening of Infinity War. The El Capitan Theatre in Los Angeles also had a similar marathon ahead of the film's release.^[90]

Marketing

In May 2017, Robert Downey Jr. and his philanthropic organization Random Act Funding partnered with Omaze to initiate a contest to benefit the organization. A randomly chosen winner from those that donated would receive an Infinity War set visit.^[91] A life-sized statue of Thanos, created by Legacy Effects, was on display at D23 Expo 2017,^[92] alongside statues of the Black Order / "Children of Thanos": Corvus Glaive, Proxima Midnight, Ebony Maw, and Cull Obsidian.^[33] Additionally, Feige, Joe Russo, Downey, Brolin, Bettany, Olsen, Klementieff, Gillan, Bautista, Cheadle, Mackie, Cumberbatch, Stan, Holland, Boseman, Ruffalo and Hemsworth appeared at D23 Expo to present a clip highlighting the 10 years of MCU films, along with footage from Infinity War.^[93] The footage, which was screened exclusively for the panel,^[94] received strong audience reaction, with fans "literally on their feet and jumping as the footage played".^[94][95] Julia Alexander of Polygon commented, "to say that there was quite a bit happening in the trailer would be one hell of an understatement, but that's not what got me excited about the promises Infinity War may deliver upon. Seeing Spider-Man in the same movie as Iron Man, Thor, Star-Lord and the Scarlet Witch finally feels like Marvel has made the movie it always wanted to—and the one we've always wanted to see. For nearly ten years we dreamt of this reality and to see it play across a massive screen... it was impossible to not feel emotional."^[95] CinemaBlend's Eric Eisenberg said the footage left him "literally shaking", with the film looking "like it could be one of the most epic blockbusters ever created," concluding "the hype [for the film] most definitely feels very, very real."^[96] Haleigh Foutch for Collider said, "It looks dark and dramatic, and utterly epic. It's clear Marvel is trying to do something different here... to pay off a decade's worth of narrative and world-building. While it's impossible to tell from two minutes work of footage, it certainly looks like that gamble paid off."^[97] The D23 footage was also shown at the 2017 San Diego Comic-Con International.^[98] Due to the two convention presentations, Avengers: Infinity War generated over 90,000 new conversations on social media from July 17 to 23, the third-most during that time period behind Thor: Ragnarok and Justice League, according to comScore and its PreAct service.^[99] Infinity War stayed in third the following week, with over 41,000 new social media conversations, behind Ragnarok and It.^[100] By the week of October 16, Infinity War had generated over 679,000 total social media conversations.^[101]

To promote the release of the film's first trailer, Marvel released "a retrospective video looking back at some of its best trailers" since Iron Man, "paired with fan reaction videos to those trailers."^[102] The first trailer for Avengers: Infinity War debuted on Good Morning America on November 29, 2017.^[103] Josh Spiegel of The Hollywood Reporter said, "The trailer promises, in many ways, exactly what anyone with a passing familiarity with superhero movies would expect..." but "the most important part of the trailer is how it carefully, deliberately introduces the notion that the Infinity War films are going to function as a passing of the torch, from one set of Avengers to a newer group."^[104] Scott Mendelson writing, for Forbes, noted that even though the trailer was not much different from the convention footage screened earlier in the year, it was "damn impressive. Moreover, it uses Nick Fury's big "Avengers Initiative" speech, along with Alan Silvestri's Avengers theme, to excellent effect."^[105] Conversely to Mendelson, Alexander commented on the different marketing strategy for the film between the convention footage scenes and the trailer scenes, feeling the "two couldn't be more different". She noted how the convention footage ("meant to please a crowd running on little sleep and jittery with anticipation") was released between Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 and Thor: Ragnarok, and "[i]t made sense to use Thor and the Guardians to hype up [Infinity War]..." because "Marvel relied on the anticipation of Thor: Ragnarok and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2's success to excite fans, and footage of older movies set to classic Marvel scores as a way to drive home how this movie is an event in itself." Conversely, the trailer ("designed to explain what's about to happen, teasing it out with additional background") heavily featured Black Panther and Wakanda, which Alexander said could not have been done earlier, without the additional marketing for Black Panther that happened after the conventions to provide additional context.^[106] Gael Cooper of CNET observed that the trailer was viewed nearly 500,000 times in its first 15 minutes after it was posted on YouTube, but questioned if the trailer broke the site after the view counter appeared to be stuck at 467,331.^[107] The trailer was viewed 230 million times in its first 24 hours, becoming the most viewed trailer in that time period, surpassing the record of It.^[108]

In January 2018, Marvel Comics published a two-issue prequel comic titled Avengers: Infinity War Prelude, which serves as a bridge between Captain America: Civil War and Avengers: Infinity War.^[109] A commercial for Infinity War aired during Super Bowl LII. The ad generated the most social media buzz out of all the films advertised during the Super Bowl, according to comScore and United Talent Agency; it was viewed 17.6 million times across YouTube and Facebook.^[110] On February 27, 2018, Disney and Marvel announced the Marvel: The Universe Unites charity campaign leading to the release of merchandise for the film on March 3. The week-long event saw stars from the film create social media challenges to provide funds and raise awareness for charities that support children and families impacted by serious illness. If their collective posts reached 1 million likes, Marvel said they would make a $250,000 donation to Starlight Children's Foundation. Additionally, Disney planned to donate 10% of sales of all Marvel products purchased at Disney Stores in the United States and online on the weekend of March 3 to the Make-A-Wish Foundation, up to $50,000. Hasbro donated $1 million worth of cash and products to Give Kids the World Village and Funko made a $1 million toy donation to Starlight.^[111]

A second trailer was released on March 16, 2018, which earned over 1 million views on YouTube in less than three hours after it was released.^[112] Alyssa Rosenberg of The Washington Post was not overly enthused about another superhero film having "special-effects-heavy villains, or the sight of yet another mysterious object hanging over the Manhattan skyline," but felt the trailer made her realize "that I'm actually looking forward to seeing [the characters of the MCU] get to know each other."^[113] Josh Spiegel of The Hollywood Reporter agreed with Rosenberg about the potential for character interactions, noting the trailer "suggests that some of these meetings are going to keep up the playful tone of recent MCU movies". He continued, "It is arguably gimmicky to pile up all of the crossover-style introductions or combinations of heroes in a movie like this, like a superpowered version of two well liked TV shows crossing over primarily in the hopes of getting more viewers to pay attention. But the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe is built on a foundation of these heroes existing within the same space, so their eventual meetings have a level of anticipation that exceeds that of watching them face off against Thanos."^[114] The second trailer was viewed 179 million times in the first 24 hours, the third-most viewed trailer in that time period, behind the first trailer for the film and It, while also becoming the biggest release for a second trailer, surpassing Beauty and the Beast (128 million views).^[115]

A week before the film's release, the Burj Khalifa in Dubai was lit up each night for the film, counting down to its release.^[116] Marvel also featured tie-in events across seven of their mobile games to promote the film.^[117] In early May 2018, Marvel and Epic Games announced the "Infinity Gauntlet Limited Time Mashup" mode for Fortnite Battle Royale, where players can find the Infinity Gauntlet hidden on the game map and become Thanos with added abilities. The Russo brothers were fans of Fortnite and approached Donald Mustard, the worldwide creative director of Epic Games, about the potential for a crossover between the properties.^[118] On November 20, 2018, Little, Brown and Company will publish Marvel's Avengers: Infinity War: Thanos – Titan Consumed, written by Barry Lyga. Despite not existing within Marvel Studios' MCU canon, the novel explores the origins of Thanos before the events of the film. Lyga noted he spoke with Marvel Studios to get an "outline of who Thanos is and what he means to the movies," and "was given great latitude and a free hand [in some areas of the story], while in others I had to tip-toe very carefully through the MCU."^[119]

Additional marketing partners for the film included Coca-Cola, Quicken Loans and their Rocket Mortgage service, the Infiniti QX50 (which is also featured in the film), Ziploc, Go-Gurt, Yoplait, Synchrony Bank, American Airlines, and Stand Up to Cancer. The partners created television commercials "inspired by or featuring the film's characters and themes", interactive digital initiatives, and robust in-store presences at numerous retailers. Duracell, Unilever, Quaker Oats Company, Chevron, and Samsung ran promotions in smaller markets. Coca-Cola, Ziploc, Go-Gurt, and Yoplait created special packaging in support of the film, with Synchrony implementing a "Save Like a Hero" campaign, and Stand Up to Cancer and American Airlines launching a national campaign with a PSA starring Johansson and Hemsworth. In the United Kingdom, OnePlus released an Infinity War edition for one of their smartphones. Deadline Hollywood estimated the media value was $150 million, the largest for any Marvel film, with Coca-Cola contributing an estimated $40 million.^[120]

Home media

Avengers: Infinity War is scheduled to be released on digital download by Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment on July 31, 2018.^[121]

Reception

Box office

As of June 5, 2018^[update], Avengers: Infinity War has grossed $645.7 million in the United States and Canada, and $1.323 billion in other territories, for a worldwide total of $1.969 billion.^[6] It is the fourth highest-grossing film of all time,^[122] as well as the highest-grossing film of 2018,^[123] the highest-grossing MCU film, and the highest-grossing superhero film.^[124]

Its worldwide opening weekend of $640.5 million is the biggest of all time, beating The Fate of the Furious' $541.9 million.^[84] It crossed the $1 billion threshold at the worldwide box office in 11 days, becoming the fastest film to reach the milestone, eclipsing Star Wars: The Force Awakens' record of 12 days.^[125] Also in its second weekend, Infinity War passed $13.5 million from 4DX screens, which was the all-time record for the format.^[86] With $140 million worldwide from IMAX,^[126] the film is the third-largest worldwide in the format, behind Avatar and The Force Awakens,^[122] and the largest gross for a Marvel film.^[127] In May 2018, two weeks after its release, Deadline Hollywood deduced the film had already broken even, and estimated its net profit would be around $600 million, accounting for production budgets, P&A, talent participations and other costs, with box office grosses and ancillary revenues from home media.^[3]

Pre-sale ticket records

In December 2017, a survey from Fandango indicated that Infinity War was the most anticipated film of 2018.^[128] Fandango reported that Infinity War achieved the largest initial 24-hour ticket pre-sales for a superhero film in just six hours, surpassing the record from Black Panther. Atom Tickets also reported that Infinity War sold more tickets in its first pre-sales day than Black Panther sold in its first month.^[129] Within 72 hours, the film generated the biggest amount of pre-sales for any superhero film at AMC Theatres. AMC noted that Infinity War's advance ticket sales were 257.6% ahead of Black Panther's, 751.5% ahead of Captain America: Civil War, and 1,106.5% ahead of Avengers: Age of Ultron during the same time frame.^[130] Two weeks before its release, Fandango revealed that advance ticket sales for Infinity War were outpacing the last seven MCU films combined in the same timeframe, and had become the company's top April release. It was also on pace to become the top superhero film, with Fandango's Erik Davis noting, "Infinity War has built up such unprecedented anticipation that it's pacing to break records, the likes of which we have never seen before for a superhero movie."^[131] A week before the film released, The Wall Street Journal noted the film had sold more than $50 million worth of advance tickets, behind only Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015) and Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017),^[132][84] with Fandango reporting that more than 2,500 showtimes had sold out. On Atom Tickets, Infinity War had the most pre-sale volume, selling 7% higher than The Last Jedi and 250% higher than Black Panther at the same point in their sales. Atom also reported that ticket sales for Infinity War were doubling daily the week of its release, the fastest rate of increase the service has seen for any MCU title.^[84]

United States and Canada

Avengers: Infinity War earned $106.7 million on its opening day in the United States and Canada (including $39 million from Thursday night previews), for an opening weekend total of $258.2 million. The Thursday night preview earning was the best for an MCU film (beating Avengers: Age of Ultron's $27.6 million) and the fourth-best of all time, behind The Force Awakens ($57 million), The Last Jedi ($45 million) and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 ($43.5 million). Fandango reported that $14 million of the $39 million came from ticket pre-sales from the company. The opening day gross was the second-best ever, behind The Force Awakens' $119.1 million, its Saturday gross of $83 million was the best-ever Saturday gross, beating Jurassic World's $69.6 million, and its Sunday gross of $69.2 million was the best-ever, beating The Force Awakens' $60.5 million. The total weekend gross became highest-grossing opening weekend of all time, beating The Force Awakens' $248 million. IMAX contributed $22.5 million to the opening weekend gross, which was the best opening for a Marvel film in the format and the third-biggest opening, behind The Force Awakens ($30 million) and The Last Jedi ($24.7 million). AMC reported that the film had the highest Friday and Saturday box office gross for a single title in the company's history, while Fandango reported that approximately $84 million worth of tickets were sold through the service, approximately 30%, which was the largest share of the weekend box office for any film in the company's history.^[84] Avengers: Infinity War earned an additional $25 million the Monday after its opening weekend, which was the highest grossing Monday in April, beating Furious 7 ($14 million), and the second-best Monday gross for an MCU film, after Black Panther ($40.1 million).^[133] The next day, it earned $23.5 million, which was the highest grossing Tuesday for an MCU film, beating Black Panther ($20.8 million), and the highest grossing Tuesday in May, beating The Avengers ($17.6 million). It also tied The Force Awakens for the fastest to reach $300 million at five days.^[134]

The film remained number one in its second weekend, earning $115.5 million, which was the second-best second weekend ever after The Force Awakens ($149.2 million). Infinity War also surpassed $400 million in the weekend, doing so in nine days, becoming the second fastest film to reach that mark, again after The Force Awakens's eight days.^[86] In its third weekend, Infinity War remained number one at the box office, and became the second-fastest film to surpass $500 million, doing so in 15 days (behind The Force Awakens's 10 days). The weekend also saw its total domestic IMAX gross become $48.1 million, which was the highest for any MCU film.^[124] The film's fourth weekend saw it come in second, behind Deadpool 2,^[135] and in its fifth it finished third behind Solo: A Star Wars Story and Deadpool 2.^[136] By May 23, Infinity War surpassed $600 million, becoming the second-fastest film to do so in 26 days, after The Force Awakens (12 days).^[137] It placed fourth in its sixth weekend.^[138] It is the sixth highest-grossing film of all time and highest-grossing superhero film.^[139] The film is projected to gross $650–675 million for its total final domestic gross.^[137]

Other territories

Outside the United States and Canada, the film earned $382.7 million from 52 markets, opening number one in all, and became the number two opening internationally, behind The Fate of the Furious ($444.2 million). IMAX contributed $18.5 million, which was the best opening outside of the US, Canada, and China, surpassing The Force Awakens ($17.5 million).^[140] All-time opening weekend records were set in South Korea ($39.2 million), Mexico ($25.4 million), Brazil ($19.1 million), India (for a Western release, $18.6 million), the Philippines ($12.5 million), Thailand ($10 million), Indonesia ($9.6 million), Malaysia,^[140] Hong Kong, Vietnam,^[141] Central America, Peru, Chile, Ecuador, Venezuela, Bolivia, South Africa, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, and West Africa,^[140] with many also setting opening day records.^[142] Australia opened with $6.7 million, which was the second biggest opening day of all time, behind The Force Awakens;^[141] it went on to have the second-highest opening weekend ever, with $23.2 million.^[140] France's opening day gross of $3.9 million was the highest ever for the month of April and the largest ever for an MCU film, while the same amount in Italy was the third-highest opening day and biggest superhero and Disney opening ever.^[141] France went on to earn $17.7 million, the biggest superhero opening in the market.^[140] Denmark, Finland, Norway, Portugal, and Sweden had the best opening for a superhero film. The United Kingdom earned $8.9 million, which was the biggest MCU opening day and third highest opening day for a Disney film;^[141] it would go on to earn $41.4 million for the weekend, which was the third-highest of all time and the second-highest Disney opening. The United Kingdom also had the highest grossing Saturday ever.^[140] Argentina had the second highest opening day of all time, while Germany had the best superhero film opening day of all time,^[141] ultimately earning $14.7 million, which was the best superhero opening ever.^[140] Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Greece, Hungary, the Middle East, Poland, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Ukraine also broke superhero film records.^[141] Japan had the second-biggest opening for an MCU film with $9 million.^[140]

Avengers: Infinity War remained number one in its 54 markets in its second weekend.^[87] The $4.9 million opening day in Russia was the biggest of all time. Infinity War was also the first film in Russia to sell more than 1 million tickets in a single day,^[143] and went on to gross $17.6 million in the market, a new opening weekend record. IMAX contributed $2.2 million in the market, which was also an opening weekend record.^[87] In its third weekend, the film remained number one in a majority of its markets. Infinity War opened in China to $200 million (RMB 1.266 billion), which was the second highest opening weekend in local currency behind The Fate of the Furious ($184 million and RMB 1.352 million). IMAX contributed $20.5 million, which was the third-largest opening in China.^[127] Infinity War also broke China's pre-sale record of 400 million yuan ($63 million).^[144] In India, Infinity War became the first Hollywood film to earn over ₹2 billion net ($29.7 million),^[145] and became the highest grossing MCU film in the United Kingdom.^[146] In its sixth weekend, the film became the highest grossing MCU film in Japan with $33 million.^[147]

The film became the highest grossing release ever in Brazil, Indonesia, the Philippines, Central America, Bolivia, Venezuela, Latin America as a region, Mexico, Chile, Ecuador, Peru, Malaysia, Singapore, India (for a Western release), Vietnam, Indonesia, Thailand (for a Western release), and Mongolia,^{[87][127][122][126]} the second-highest in the Asia-Pacific region (for a Western release), Hong Kong, and South Korea (for a Western release)^[126] and the third-highest in China (for a Western release).^[126] It is also the highest-grossing superhero film in Belgium, Bosnia, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Macedonia, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Switzerland, the United Arab Emirates, Ukraine, and the United Kingdom.^[126] As of June 3, 2018^[update], the film's top markets are China ($356.2 million), the United Kingdom ($94 million), and South Korea ($92.5 million).^[147] The film is the third highest-grossing film of all time in territories outside the United States and Canada.^[122]

Critical response

The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported an 83% approval rating based on 334 reviews, and an average rating of 7.4/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Avengers: Infinity War ably juggles a dizzying array of MCU heroes in the fight against their gravest threat yet, and the result is a thrilling, emotionally resonant blockbuster that (mostly) realizes its gargantuan ambitions."^[149] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 68 out of 100, based on 53 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".^[150] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale,^[84] while PostTrak reported filmgoers gave it an 87% overall positive score and a 68% "definite recommend".^[86]

Todd McCarthy of The Hollywood Reporter praised the writers' and directors' ability to balance the large cast of characters, saying, "...writers Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely and directors Anthony and Joe Russo, under the supervision of Marvel Films maestro Kevin Feige, acknowledge the traffic jam of egos and play it for laughs."^[151] Owen Gleiberman of Variety concurred, stating, Infinity War is a brashly entertaining jamboree, structured to show off each hero or heroine and give them just enough to do, and to update their mythologies without making it all feel like homework."^[152] Rolling Stone's Peter Travers said the film is "too much of a good thing" and wrote, "The Russo brothers have clearly never learned the concept that less is more. They've used the premise of an Avengers reunion to put on a fireworks explosion of action and laughs that won't quit."^[153] Richard Roeper of the Chicago Sun-Times called it Marvel's "biggest and most ambitious movie yet", but concluded "it's certainly not the best. However, there's plenty of action, humor and heart—and some genuinely effective dramatic moments." Roeper went on to praise the film's cast and Josh Brolin in particular, whom he called "the film's most interesting performance".^[154] Gleiberman called Brolin's motion capture performance "supremely effective" and said, "Brolin infuses Thanos with his slit-eyed manipulative glower, so that the evil in this movie never feels less than personal."^[152] McCarthy wrote, "Brolin's calm, considered reading of the character bestows this conquering beast with an unexpectedly resonant emotional dimension, making him much more than a thick stick figure of a supervillain." McCarthy also praised the film's action sequences, saying "Infinity War brims with tensely spectacular combat sequences, even if the question of who's going to win each one has that extravagantly arbitrary could-Mighty-Mouse-beat-up-Superman? quality."^[151] Gleiberman called the scale of the action, "astonishing",^[152] and Travers wrote,"Avengers: Infinity War leaves viewers up in the air, feeling exhilarated and cheated at the same time, aching for a closure that never comes...at least not yet."^[153] Josh Spiegel, also of The Hollywood Reporter, said the film takes "a cue from the ending of The Empire Strikes Back in its super-sized finale; this is the equivalent of Han Solo frozen in the carbonite, on steroids."^[155]

A. O. Scott of The New York Times criticized the film's reliance on other films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, saying, "Considered on its own, as a single, nearly 2-hour-40-minute movie, Avengers: Infinity War makes very little sense," but conceded that it "was never meant to be viewed or judged in isolation."^[156] Richard Brody of The New Yorker agreed, stating, "The insubstantiality of the film isn't due to the infinite yet flimsy malleability of C.G.I. gimmickry but, instead, to the dispersion of its drama throughout the many cinematic installations set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe."^[157] Stephanie Zacharek of Time said, "[It] isn't really a beginning, but more of a middle or an end with a new piece of yarn attached. You need to have seen and internalized every one of the previous 18 Marvel Cinematic Universe movies to fully get it."^[158] Justin Chang of the Los Angeles Times called it a "brisk, propulsive, occasionally rousing and borderline-gutsy continuation of a saga that finally and sensibly seems to be drawing to a close," but called its ultimate bid for catharsis "unsuccessful", saying, "Not even the threat of universal annihilation, it seems, will keep this assembly line from chugging ahead with its signature polished, mechanized efficiency."^[159] Scott also criticized the action sequences, calling them "tedious and predictable" and writing, "The noisy, bloated spectacles of combat were surely the most expensive parts of the movie, but the money seems less like an imaginative tool than a substitute for genuine imagination."^[156] Likewise, Zacharek said, "There's no pacing in Avengers: Infinity War. It's all sensation and no pulse. Everything is big, all of the time."^[158]

Accolades

Avengers: Infinity War was nominated for three MTV Movie & TV Awards, including Best Movie, Best Villain (Josh Brolin), and Best Fight (Scarlett Johansson, Danai Gurira, Elizabeth Olsen vs. Carrie Coon).^[160]

Sequel

An untitled sequel is scheduled to be released on May 3, 2019,^[45] with the Russos returning to direct,^[47] and Markus and McFeely once again writing the screenplay.^[50]

Notes

References

External links

• Official website
• Avengers: Infinity War at IMDb
• Avengers: Infinity War at AllMovie