The film was announced in October 2014 asAvengers: Infinity War – Part 1. The Russo brothers came on board to direct in April 2015, and a month later, Markus and McFeely signed on to write the script for the film, which draws inspiration fromJim Starlin's 1991 comic bookThe Infinity Gauntlet andJonathan Hickman's 2013 comic bookInfinity. In 2016, Marvel shortened the title toAvengers: Infinity War. Filming began in January 2017 atPinewood Atlanta Studios inFayette County, Georgia, with a large cast consisting mostly of actors reprising their roles fromprevious MCU films, including Brolin as Thanos. The production lasted until July 2017, shootingback-to-back with a direct sequel,Avengers: Endgame (2019). Additional filming took place in Scotland, theDowntown Atlanta area, and New York City. With an estimated budget of $325–400 million, the film is one of themost expensive films ever made.
Hulk crash-lands in theSanctum Sanctorum in New York City, reverting to the form of Bruce Banner. He warnsStephen Strange andWong about Thanos's plan to destroy half of all life in the universe, and they recruitTony Stark. Maw and Obsidian arrive to retrieve the Time Stone from Strange, drawingPeter Parker's attention. Maw, unable to take the Time Stone due to Strange's enchantment, captures him. Stark and Parker sneak aboard Maw's spaceship while Wong stays behind to guard the Sanctum.
TheGuardians of the Galaxy respond to the Asgardian ship's distress call and rescue Thor. Thor surmises that Thanos is after the Reality Stone, whichTaneleer Tivan possesses onKnowhere. He travels withRocket andGroot toNidavellir to enlist the dwarf kingEitri's aid in creating the battle-axeStormbreaker.Peter Quill,Gamora,Drax, andMantis travel to Knowhere, finding Thanos already has the Reality Stone. Thanos kidnaps Gamora, who discloses the Soul Stone's location to saveNebula from torture. OnVormir, the Stone's keeper,Red Skull, tells Thanos that he can only acquire it by sacrificing someone he loves. Thanos sacrifices Gamora, earning the Stone.
Midnight and Glaive ambushWanda Maximoff andVision inEdinburgh to retrieve the Mind Stone which is in Vision's forehead.Steve Rogers,Natasha Romanoff, andSam Wilson rescue them and they take shelter withJames Rhodes and Banner at theAvengers Compound. Vision asks Wanda to destroy him and the Mind Stone to keep it from Thanos, but she refuses. The group travels toWakanda, which Rogers believes has the resources to remove the Stone without killing Vision.
Nebula escapes captivity and asks the remaining Guardians to meet her on Thanos's destroyed homeworld,Titan. Stark and Parker kill Maw and rescue Strange. The trio crash-lands on Titan, where they meet Quill, Drax, and Mantis. Using the Time Stone, Strange views millions of possible futures, seeing only one in which theAvengers win. The group formulates a plan to subdue Thanos and remove the Infinity Gauntlet, with which he safely houses and wields the Stones. Thanos appears, justifying his plans as necessary to guarantee the survival of an overpopulated universe. Nebula arrives soon after and helps the others subdue Thanos, but deduces that Thanos has killed Gamora. Enraged, Quill attacks Thanos, allowing him to break the group's hold and overpower them. Thanos grievously wounds Stark, but Strange offers the Time Stone in exchange for sparing Stark's life.
In Wakanda, Rogers reunites withBucky Barnes before Thanos' army invades. The Avengers, along withT'Challa and the Wakandan forces, mount a defense whileShuri works to extract the Mind Stone from Vision. Unable to summon the Hulk, Banner fights in Stark'sHulkbuster armor. Thor, Rocket, and Groot arrive to reinforce the Avengers. Together they kill Midnight, Obsidian, and Glaive, and rout Thanos's army. Shuri cannot complete the extraction before Thanos arrives on the field; the Avengers and their allies fail to stop him from reaching Vision. Vision convinces a reluctant Wanda to destroy him and the Mind Stone, but Thanos uses the Time Stone to reverse her actions, rip the stone from Vision's forehead, and complete the Gauntlet. Thor severely wounds Thanos with Stormbreaker, but Thanos activates the completed Gauntlet bysnapping his fingers before teleporting away.
Half of all life across the universe disintegrates, including Barnes, T'Challa, Groot, Wanda, Wilson, Mantis, Drax, Quill, Strange, Parker,Maria Hill, andNick Fury, the last of whom sends an emergency signal on a modifiedpager before disintegrating.[b] Stark and Nebula remain stranded on Titan while Banner,M'Baku,Okoye, Rhodes, Rocket, Rogers, Romanoff, and Thor are left on the Wakandan battlefield. Meanwhile, Thanos watches a sunrise on a remote planet.
Cast
Robert Downey Jr. asTony Stark / Iron Man: The benefactor of theAvengers who is a self-described genius, billionaire, playboy, and philanthropist withelectromechanical suits of armor of his own making.[6][7] Co-directorJoe Russo explained that Stark "senses this greater threat approaching, so he is doing everything in his power to keep the Earth safe".[8] Downey added that Stark has smaller goals than in previous films.[9]
Chris Hemsworth asThor: An Avenger and the king ofAsgard, based on theNorse mythological deityof the same name.[10] Joe Russo stated that Thor's storyline picks up after the events ofThor: Ragnarok (2017), which finds him in a "very profound", "very interesting place" with "real emotional motivation".[11] At the recommendation of Hemsworth, writersChristopher Markus and Stephen McFeely consultedThor: Ragnarok directorTaika Waititi and screenwriterEric Pearson to help carry over the comedic and tragic elements of the re-toned Thor from that film.[12] Joe Russo said that Thor has "the driving hero's arc of the movie which stands in direct opposition to Thanos' argument" and would have been the main protagonist of the film had Thor killed Thanos.[13]
Mark Ruffalo asBruce Banner / Hulk: An Avenger and genius scientist who, because of exposure togamma radiation, typically transforms into a monster when enraged or agitated.[14][15] Banner spends the film trying to reintegrate with the Avengers and "impress upon everybody how dangerous Thanos is".[16] Joe Russo felt the Hulk refusing to appear for much of the film was only partially because he was scared, but also because he realizes that "Banner only wants Hulk for fighting. I think he's had enough of saving Banner's ass". Russo added that this was "really reflective of the journey fromRagnarok [...] [where] these two characters are constantly in conflict with each other over control".[17] Banner's appearance in the film continues a story arc for the character that was established inThor: Ragnarok and concludes inAvengers: Endgame (2019),[18] with the difference between Hulk and Banner "starting to blur a little bit". Ruffalo described Hulk inInfinity War as having the mental capacity of a five-year-old.[16]
Chris Evans asSteve Rogers / Captain America: The fugitive leader of the non-regulation faction of Avengers. AWorld War II veteran, he was enhanced to the peak of human physicality by an experimental serum and frozen in suspended animation before waking up in the modern world.[10] Joe Russo said after the events ofCaptain America: Civil War (2016), Rogers struggles with the conflict between his responsibility to himself and his responsibility to others. The character embodies the "spirit" of the comic book identityNomad in the film,[19] and receives new vibranium gauntlets from Shuri to replacehis old shield.[20] An early draft of the film had Rogers first appearing at the end of the film to saveVision fromCorvus Glaive inWakanda. Markus and McFeely were called "insane" for waiting that long to introduce Rogers into the film and ultimately conceded it was "not [a] satisfying" approach.[21]
Scarlett Johansson asNatasha Romanoff / Black Widow: A highly trained spy, member of Rogers' faction of Avengers, and former agent ofS.H.I.E.L.D.[22] Johansson said that Romanoff's situation followingCaptain America: Civil War has been "a dark time. I wouldn't say that my character has been particularly hopeful, but I think she's hardened even more than she probably was before."[23]
Benedict Cumberbatch as Dr.Stephen Strange: A formerneurosurgeon who, after a car accident that led to a journey of healing, discovered the hidden world of magic and alternate dimensions and became aMaster of the Mystic Arts.[24][25] Markus and McFeely described Strange as "[ending] up being the reasonable adult in the room" with the "widest perspective available".[26] Julian "JayFunk" Daniels once again assisted Cumberbatch with hisfinger-tutting movements.[27]
Don Cheadle asJames "Rhodey" Rhodes / War Machine: An officer in theU.S. Air Force and Avenger who operates the War Machine armor.[28] Following his paralysis during the events ofCivil War, Rhodes is given an apparatus by Stark to walk again, although he is reluctant to don his War Machine armor and rejoin the Avengers due to his injury. Cheadle believed that Rhodes is "negotiating this reunion and his rejoining this team". He also explained that Rhodes' relationship with Stark "deepened" from his accident, saying, "I think Tony feels somewhat responsible and culpable in a way. But again, he's always had my back in a way that only he could really have".[29]
Tom Holland asPeter Parker / Spider-Man: A teenager, Avenger and Stark's protégé who received spider-like abilities after being bitten by a radioactive spider.[8] Downey helped coach Holland through his death scene, which was not as drawn out in the script.[30]
Chadwick Boseman asT'Challa / Black Panther: The king of the African nation of Wakanda who gained his enhanced abilities by ingesting the Heart-Shaped Herb.[22][31] Boseman, along with the other actors fromBlack Panther (2018) portraying Wakandans, improvised their war chants on set ahead of the battle in Wakanda. Despite bothBlack Panther andInfinity War filming at the same time, the Russos were not aware of the chants, as they had not yet seen footage fromBlack Panther, and felt the moment was "incredibly cool".[32]
Paul Bettany asVision: An android and Avenger created using the artificial intelligenceJ.A.R.V.I.S.,Ultron, and theMind Stone.[24] Anthony Russo called Vision "a livingMacGuffin"; his life being in direct conflict with Thanos' quest, which "raises the stakes".[23]
Sebastian Stan asBucky Barnes / Winter Soldier: An enhanced soldier and Rogers' ally and best friend who reemerged as a brainwashed assassin after being thought to have beenkilled in action during World War II.[35] Barnes, formerly known as the Winter Soldier, is given the nameWhite Wolf by the people of Wakanda, who helped remove hisHydra programming.[20]
Tom Hiddleston asLoki: Thor's adopted brother, based on the Norse mythological deityof the same name.[36] Hiddleston knew about Loki's death inInfinity War prior to production ofThor: Ragnarok after meeting the Russos in May 2016, with his death being the first scene of the film that the Russos had conceptualized.[37] Hiddleston's knowledge of Loki's fate inInfinity War influenced his portrayal inRagnarok. On Loki's final moments, Hiddleston believed it was "very powerful" that Loki calls himself "Odinson", as it was a moment that "closes the whole journey of Loki", while his death "takes the stakes up dramatically", establishing the threat of Thanos.[38]
Karen Gillan asNebula: An adopted daughter of Thanos who was raised with Gamora as siblings.[43]
Dave Bautista asDrax the Destroyer: A member of the Guardians and warrior in search of vengeance against Thanos for killing his family.[24] At the end of each day of filming, Bautista would have to sit in a sauna to remove his makeup.[44]
Zoe Saldaña asGamora: A member of the Guardians who is an orphan from an alien world and was subsequently raised by Thanos, and is seeking redemption for her past crimes.[45]Ariana Greenblatt portrays a young Gamora.[46]
Vin Diesel asGroot: A member of the Guardians who is a tree-like humanoid.[47] Executive producerJames Gunn explained that Groot is still an adolescent in the film, in the same state of growth seen in one of thepost-credit scenes inGuardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017).[48]Terry Notary providedmotion capture for Groot, and said the character is "coming of age, so you'll see the teenager find a mentor to look up to and to model himself after".[49]
Bradley Cooper asRocket: A member of the Guardians who is a genetically engineeredraccoon-based bounty hunter, mercenary, and master of weapons and battle tactics.[50]Sean Gunn was again the stand-in for Rocket during filming, with his acting and expressions serving as motion reference for the character.[51][52]
Gwyneth Paltrow asPepper Potts: Stark's fiancée and the CEO ofStark Industries.[53] Downey felt that "Pepper remains the heart of the [Iron Man] story", which was not a focal point in some of the preceding films with Stark. Downey continued that "we wanted to get back to that reality. Not just for them, but let's really see how that can add to the something-worth-fighting-for of it all".[9]
Josh Brolin asThanos: An intergalactic warlord fromTitan who seeks all six Infinity Stones to destroy half of all life[55][24][56] for the sake of "re-balanc[ing] the universe".[57] ProducerKevin Feige added that Thanos believes the universe is becoming over-populated, which led to the destruction of his home moon Titan and is something he vowed not to let happen again,[56] and also said "you could almost go so far as to say he is the main character of" the film.[58] McFeely shared this sentiment, describing the film as his "hero journey" in addition to being the film's protagonist, stating, "Part of that is the things that [mean] the most to him. We wanted to show that. It wasn't just power; it wasn't just an ideal; it was people".[26] Brolin likened Thanos to "theQuasimodo of this time" and the novelPerfume, since Thanos was born deformed and considered a "freak" on Titan,[59] while Joe Russo would referenceThe Godfather (1972) for Brolin at times, which Brolin felt helped "to emotionalize the whole thing".[60] Brolin further added that he preferred playing Thanos overCable inDeadpool 2 (2018) because of the amount of work that went into creating the character.[61] Thanos does not wear armor for most of the film, which is symbolic of his growing power as he collects the Infinity Stones.[62] In addition to voicing for the character, Brolin performed motion capture on set.[63]
Chris Pratt asPeter Quill / Star-Lord: The half-human, half-Celestial leader of the Guardians who was abducted from Earth as a child and raised by a group of alien thieves and smugglers called theRavagers.[33] Pratt described his role in the film as a "guest star" appearance and said "you get to be a little more vibrant; a little more irreverent; a little bit more colorful if you want it to be".[64]
Ross Marquand voicesJohann Schmidt / Red Skull, the "Stonekeeper" and formerNazi commander of Hydra duringWorld War II.[40][83][84] Marquand replacesHugo Weaving, who had expressed reluctance to reprise the character fromCaptain America: The First Avenger (2011).[40][83] Red Skull was created through CGI and portrayed withstand-ins on set.[84] Avengers co-creatorStan Lee makes a cameo appearance in the film as Parker's school bus driver,[40] while screenwriterStephen McFeely cameos as Secretary Ross' aide.[85]Kenneth Branagh, the director ofThor (2011), voices an Asgardian distress caller in an uncredited cameo.[86]David Cross was invited to make a cameo appearance asTobias Fünke, his character from the television sitcomArrested 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.[87] Executive producerJon Favreau was to reprise his role asHappy Hogan, while co-director Joe Russo had a cameo appearance as a paparazzi photographer, but this scene did not make the theatrical cut of the film.[88]
In October 2014,Marvel Studios announced a two-part sequel toAvengers: Age of Ultron (2015) entitledAvengers: Infinity War.Part 1 was scheduled to be released on May 4, 2018, withPart 2 scheduled for May 3, 2019.[89] Marvel's plan was to film both parts ofInfinity Warback-to-back.[90]Anthony and Joe Russo were hired to direct the films in April 2015.[91] The next month,Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely signed on to write the screenplays for both parts of the film,[92] which drew inspiration fromJim Starlin's 1991The Infinity Gauntlet comic andJonathan Hickman's 2013Infinity comic.[93] Anthony Russo added the film was inspired by 1990sheist films, with Thanos "on a smash-and-grab" to acquire all of the Infinity Stones.[56] ProducerKevin Feige said the films would be "two distinct" projects with shared elements, notone story split across two films.[94] The Russos decided to rename them to remove this misconception in May 2016,[95] and Marvel simply shortened the first film toAvengers: Infinity War that July.[96]
Later in July 2017, Joe Russo stated there were a couple of unfinished scenes forInfinity War that would be shot "in the next few months".[109] In early March 2018, Disney moved the release ofInfinity War in the United States to April 27, 2018, to have it be released the same weekend as some of its international markets.[110][111] Visual effects for the film were created byIndustrial Light & Magic,[112]Framestore,[113]Method Studios,[114]Weta Digital,DNEG,Cinesite,Digital Domain, Rise,Lola VFX, and Perception.[115] With an estimated budget in the range of $325–400 million,[2][3] it is one of themost expensive films ever made.[116] Evans and Hemsworth both earned $15 million for the film.[117]
In June 2016,Alan Silvestri, who composed the score forThe Avengers (2012), was revealed to be returning to score bothInfinity War andEndgame.[118] Silvestri recorded his score from January 2018[119] to late March, and found working on the film to be "a really different experience than anything I'd done before, especially in regard to the approach and balancing quick shifts in tone".[120]Ludwig Göransson's theme fromBlack Panther is used in the film.[121]Hollywood Records andMarvel Music released regular and deluxe soundtrack albums digitally on April 27, 2018, with physical releases on May 18. The deluxe edition featured some extended and additional tracks.[122]
In May 2017, Robert Downey Jr. and his philanthropic organization Random Act Funding partnered withOmaze for a contest in which a randomly chosen winner from those that donated would receive anInfinity War set visit.[123] A life-sized statue of Thanos, created byLegacy Effects, was on display atD23 Expo 2017,[124] alongside statues of the Black Order / "Children of Thanos": Corvus Glaive, Proxima Midnight, Ebony Maw, and Cull Obsidian.[74] 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 fromInfinity War.[28] The footage, which was screened exclusively for the panel,[125] received strong audience reaction, with fans "literally on their feet and jumping as the footage played".[125][126] Julia Alexander ofPolygon said there was "quite a bit happening" in the footage and it "finally feels like Marvel has made the movie it always wanted to—and the one we've always wanted to see."[126]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".[127] Haleigh Foutch forCollider described it as "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 andworld-building. While it's impossible to tell from two minutes work of footage, it certainly looks like that gamble paid off".[128] The D23 footage was also shown at the 2017San Diego Comic-Con.[129] After 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 behindThor: Ragnarok andJustice League (2017), according toComscore and its PreAct service.[130]Infinity War stayed in third the following week, with over 41,000 new social media conversations, behindRagnarok andIt (2017).[131] By the week of October 16,Infinity War had generated over 679,000 total social media conversations.[132]
To promote the film's firstteaser trailer, Marvel released a compilation video of some of its previous trailers sinceIron Man (2008), "paired with fan reaction videos to those trailers".[133] The first teaser forAvengers: Infinity War debuted onGood Morning America on November 29, 2017.[134] Josh Spiegel ofThe Hollywood Reporter said, "The most important part of the trailer is how it carefully, deliberately introduces the notion that theInfinity War films are going to function as a passing of the torch, from one set of Avengers to a newer group".[135] Scott Mendelson, writing forForbes, noted that even though the trailer was not much different from the convention footage screened earlier in the year, it was "damn impressive." Additionally, the trailer had an "excellent effect", using the "Avengers Initiative speech" by Nick Fury and the "Avengers theme" by Alan Silvestri fromThe Avengers.[136] 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 said the convention footage (intended to please the crowd who were "jittery with anticipation") was released betweenGuardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 andThor: Ragnarok, and heavily focused Thor and the Guardians, while the trailer (designed to explain the film to general audiences) heavily features Black Panther and Wakanda, which Alexander said could not have been done before the additional marketing forBlack Panther that happened after the conventions provided additional context.[137] Gael Cooper ofCNET observed that the trailer was viewed nearly 500,000 times in its first 15 minutes after it was posted onYouTube, but questioned if the trailer broke the site after the view counter appeared to be stuck at 467,331.[138] The trailer was viewed 230 million times in its first 24 hours, becoming the most viewed trailer in that time period, surpassing the record ofIt.[139]
In January 2018, Marvel Comics published atwo-issue prequel comic titledAvengers: Infinity War Prelude, which serves as a bridge betweenCaptain America: Civil War andAvengers: Infinity War.[140] A commercial forInfinity War aired duringSuper Bowl LII, and generated the most social media buzz of all the films advertised according to comScore andUnited Talent Agency; it was viewed 17.6 million times across YouTube andFacebook.[141] On February 27, 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. Marvel planned to make a $250,000 donation toStarlight Children's Foundation if these posts collectively reached 1 million likes, while Disney planned to donate 10% of all Marvel'sDisney Store sales in the United States and online on the weekend of March 3 to theMake-A-Wish Foundation, up to $50,000.Hasbro andFunko each donated $1 million worth of cash and products, toGive Kids the World Village and Starlight Children's Foundation, respectively.[142]
A second trailer was released on March 16, which earned over 1 million views on YouTube in less than three hours after it was released.[143] Alyssa Rosenberg ofThe Washington Post was not overly enthused about another superhero film having "special-effects-heavy villains, or the sight of yetanother 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".[144] Spiegel agreed with Rosenberg about the potential for character interactions, but felt it was "gimmicky" to have so many "crossover-style introductions or combinations of heroes in a movie like this".[145] 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 andIt, while also becoming the biggest release for a second trailer, surpassingBeauty and the Beast (2017) (128 million views).[146] A week before the film's release, theBurj Khalifa in Dubai was lit up each night for the film, counting down to its release.[147] Marvel also featured tie-in events across seven of their mobile games to promote the film.[148] In early May, Marvel andEpic Games announced the "Infinity Gauntlet Limited Time Mashup" mode forFortnite Battle Royale, where players could find the Infinity Gauntlet hidden on the game map and become Thanos with added abilities. The Russo brothers were fans ofFortnite and approached Donald Mustard, the worldwide creative director of Epic Games, about the potential for a crossover between the properties.[149] On November 20,Little, Brown and Company publishedMarvel's Avengers: Infinity War: Thanos – Titan Consumed, written byBarry Lyga. Despite not existing within Marvel Studios' MCU canon, the novel explores the origins of Thanos before the events of the film. Lyga 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".[150]
All-in-all, the studio spent an estimated $150 million on prints and advertisements promoting the film.[2] Additional marketing partners for the film includedCoca-Cola,Quicken Loans and their Rocket Mortgage service, theInfiniti QX50 (which appears in the film),Ziploc,Go-Gurt,Yoplait,Synchrony Bank,American Airlines, andStand 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, andSamsung 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 aPSA starring Johansson and Hemsworth. In the United Kingdom,OnePlus released anInfinity 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.[151]
Release
Theatrical
Avengers: Infinity War held its world premiere at theDolby Theatre inHollywood, Los Angeles, on April 23, 2018, screening also at the adjacentEl Capitan Theatre andGrauman's Chinese Theatre.[152][153] It was released in most countries worldwide, including the United States, on April 27, with a few debuts beginning as early as April 25,[110] and was shown inIMAX and3D on select screens.[154][155] 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 afterDespicable Me 3's (2017) 4,529 theaters. Three ofAMC 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.[156] In India, the film had the biggest release ever for a Hollywood film, opening on nearly 2,000 screens in four languages.[157] The film also screened in 5154DX theaters in 59 countries.[158]Avengers: Infinity War was originally scheduled to be released on May 4 in the United States.[89] The Chinese release of the film, which opened on May 11,[159] was originally scheduled to end on June 10, but was granted a "rare" extension of 30 days, to end on July 9.[160]Avengers: Infinity War is part ofPhase Three of the MCU.[161]
Select footage from the film was screened in various cities during the film's press tour in early April, ahead of the Los Angeles premiere. The Russos said only a limited amount of the film would be shown at these screenings to reduce the chance of spoilers being leaked. Adam Chitwood ofCollider commented that this was "highly unusual as most Marvel movies are screened in their entirety for press about a month before they hit theaters".[162] 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, ending in a screening ofInfinity War. The El Capitan Theatre in Los Angeles had a similar marathon for the film's release.[163]
Home media
Avengers: Infinity War was released ondigital download byWalt Disney Studios Home Entertainment on July 31, 2018, and onUltra HD Blu-ray,Blu-ray, andDVD on August 14. The digital and Blu-ray releases include behind-the-scenes featurettes, audio commentary, deleted scenes, and a blooper reel. The digital release also features a roundtable discussion between MCU directors the Russos, Jon Favreau,Joss Whedon, James Gunn,Ryan Coogler,Peyton Reed, and Taika Waititi.[164] In terms of home media sales, the physical versions of the film were collectively the top home media release of the week in which they were first released.[165]
Despite being shot with IMAX cameras and released in IMAX theaters in the 1.90:1aspect ratio, the home media release did not present the film in that aspect ratio, instead including a cropped2.39:1 aspect ratio that was used for non-IMAX screenings.[166][167] Joe Russo said they "spent a long time trying to" have the IMAX version on the home media, but since theIMAX Corporation has "agency over that format", the situation was "complicated".[168] He did not rule out the possibility that this version could be available at a later point.[167] The IMAX Enhanced version of the film was made available onDisney+ beginning on November 12, 2021.[169]
Its worldwide opening weekend of $640.5 million was thebiggest of all time, beatingThe Fate of the Furious's (2017) $541.9 million.[156] It was later beat by its sequel,Avengers: Endgame, which grossed $1.222 billion in its opening weekend.[174]It was the fastest film to make $1 billion at the worldwide box office, doing so in 11 days to eclipseStar Wars: The Force Awakens's (2015) record of 12 days.[175] Also, in its second weekend,Infinity War passed $13.5 million from 4DX screens, which was the all-time record for the format.[158] On June 12, 2018,Infinity War passed the $2 billion mark at the worldwide box office, becoming the fourth film to cross that milestone afterAvatar (2009),Titanic (1997), andThe Force Awakens.[171] Crossing the mark in 48 days, it was the second-fastest to that point, afterAvatar's 47-day record and later the 11-day record ofEndgame.[176] With $140 million worldwide from IMAX,[177] the film is the third-largest worldwide in the format, behindAvatar andThe Force Awakens,[170] and the largest for a Marvel film.[178]Deadline Hollywood calculated the film's net profit as $500 million, accounting for production budgets, marketing, talent participations, and other costs; box office grosses and home media revenues placed it first on their list of 2018's "Most Valuable Blockbusters".[2]
Pre-sale ticket records
In December 2017, a survey fromFandango indicated thatInfinity War was the most anticipated film of 2018.[179] Fandango later reported thatInfinity War achieved the largest initial 24-hour ticket pre-sales for a superhero film, taking just 6 hours to surpass the previous 24-hour record set byBlack Panther. Atom Tickets reported thatInfinity War sold more tickets in its first pre-sales day thanBlack Panther sold in its first month.[180] Within 72 hours, the film generated the largest pre-sales for any superhero film at AMC Theatres, with its advance ticket sales being 257.6% ahead ofBlack Panther's, 751.5% ahead ofCaptain America: Civil War, and 1,106.5% ahead ofAvengers: Age of Ultron during the same time frame.[181] Two weeks before its release, Fandango revealed that advance ticket sales forInfinity 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.[182] A week before the film released,The Wall Street Journal said the film had sold more than $50 million worth of advance tickets, behind onlyThe Force Awakens andStar Wars: The Last Jedi (2017),[183][156] 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 thanThe Last Jedi and 250% higher thanBlack Panther at the same point in their sales. Atom also reported that ticket sales forInfinity War were doubling daily the week of its release, the fastest rate of increase the service has seen for any MCU title.[156]
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 (beatingAvengers: Age of Ultron's $27.6 million) and the fourth-best of all time, behindThe Force Awakens ($57 million),The Last Jedi ($45 million), andHarry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 (2011) ($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, behindThe Force Awakens's $119.1 million; its Saturday gross of $83 million was the best-ever Saturday gross, beatingJurassic World's (2015) $69.6 million; and its Sunday gross of $69.2 million was the best-ever, beatingThe Force Awakens's $60.5 million. The total weekend gross became thehighest-grossing opening weekend, beatingThe Force Awakens's $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, behindThe Force Awakens ($30 million) andThe 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.[156]Avengers: Infinity War earned an additional $25 million the Monday after its opening weekend, which was the highest-grossing Monday in April, beatingFurious 7 (2015) ($14 million), and the second-best Monday gross for an MCU film, afterBlack Panther ($40.1 million).[184] The next day, it earned $23.5 million, which was the highest-grossing Tuesday for an MCU film, beatingBlack Panther ($20.8 million), and the highest-grossing Tuesday in May, beatingThe Avengers ($17.6 million). It also tiedThe Force Awakens for the fastest to reach $300 million at five days.[185]
The film remained number one in its second weekend, earning $115.5 million, which was the second-best second weekend ever afterThe 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 afterThe Force Awakens's eight days.[158] 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 (behindThe 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.[173] The film's fourth weekend saw it come in second, behindDeadpool 2,[186] and in its fifth it finished third behindSolo: A Star Wars Story (2018) andDeadpool 2.[187] By May 23,Infinity War surpassed $600 million, becoming the second-fastest film to do so in 26 days, afterThe Force Awakens (12 days).[188] It remained in the top ten through its ninth weekend.[189] In the United States and Canada, it went on to become thefourth-highest-grossing film of all time,[171] and the second-highest-grossing superhero film, behindBlack Panther.[190]
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, behindThe Fate of the Furious ($444.2 million). IMAX contributed $18.5 million, which was the best opening outside of the US, Canada, and China, surpassingThe Force Awakens ($17.5 million).[191] 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,[191] Hong Kong, Vietnam,[192] Central America, Peru, Chile, Ecuador, Venezuela, Bolivia, South Africa, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, and West Africa,[191] with many also setting opening day records.[193] France had the biggest superhero opening in the market with $17.7 million,[191] as did Denmark, Finland, Norway, Portugal, and Sweden. The United Kingdom earned $8.9 million, which was the biggest MCU opening day and third-highest opening day for a Disney film;[192] 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.[191] Argentina had the second-highest opening day of all time, while Germany had the best superhero film opening day of all time,[192] ultimately earning $14.7 million, which was the best superhero opening ever.[191] Many other European countries and the Middle East also broke superhero film records.[192] Japan had the second-biggest opening for an MCU film with $9 million, and Australia had the second-highest opening weekend ever, with $23.2 million.[191]
Avengers: Infinity War remained number one in its 54 markets in its second weekend.[159] The $4.9 million opening day in Russia was the biggest of all time. However, there was some controversy with the film's release in that country. Originally, theRussian government ordered it to be released on May 11, but after a scandal the government made concessions and agreed to let it premiere on May 3 with a condition that on May 9, during theVictory Day, only Russian films would be played in the cinema theatres.[194]Infinity War was also the first film in Russia to sell more than 1 million tickets in a single day,[195] 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.[159] 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 behindThe Fate of the Furious ($184 million and RMB 1.352 million). IMAX contributed $20.5 million, which was the third-largest opening in China.[178]Infinity War also broke China's pre-sale record of 400 million yuan ($63 million).[196] In India,Infinity War became the first Hollywood film to earn over₹2 billion net ($29.7 million),[197] and also became the highest-grossing MCU film in the United Kingdom.[198] In its sixth weekend, the film became the highest-grossing MCU film in Japan with $33 million.[199]
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,[159][178][170][177] the second-highest in the Asia-Pacific region (for a Western release), Hong Kong, and South Korea (for a Western release), and the third-highest in China (for a Western release). It is also the highest-grossing superhero film in many European countries, including the United Kingdom.[177] As of June 17, 2018[update], the film's top markets are China ($373.4 million), the United Kingdom ($95.7 million), and South Korea ($92.8 million).[200] The film is the third-highest-grossing film of all time in territories outside the United States and Canada.[171]
Critical response
Josh Brolin's performance as Thanos was praised by many critics.[201]
Thereview aggregatorRotten Tomatoes reported an approval rating of 85%, with an average score of 7.6/10, based on 492 reviews. The website'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."[202]Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 68 out of 100 based on 54 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.[203]
Todd McCarthy ofThe Hollywood Reporter praised the writers' and directors' ability to balance the large cast of characters, saying they, "under the supervision of Marvel Films maestro Kevin Feige, acknowledge the traffic jam of egos and play it for laughs".[204]Owen Gleiberman ofVariety 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".[205]Rolling Stone'sPeter 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".[206]Richard Roeper of theChicago 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".[207] 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".[205] 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".[204] Gleiberman 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".[205] McCarthy called the scale of the action "astonishing",[204] 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".[206] Josh Spiegel, also ofThe Hollywood Reporter, said the film takes "a cue from the ending ofThe Empire Strikes Back in its super-sized finale; this is the equivalent ofHan Solo frozen in thecarbonite, on steroids".[208]
A. O. Scott ofThe 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".[209]Richard Brody ofThe 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".[210]Stephanie Zacharek ofTime 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".[211]Justin Chang of theLos 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" since the Marvel "assembly line [is not stopped] from chugging ahead with its signature polished, mechanized efficiency".[212] Scott also criticized the action sequences, calling them "tedious and predictable" and "surely the most expensive parts of the movie, but the money seems less like an imaginative tool than a substitute for genuine imagination".[209] Likewise, Zacharek said, "There's no pacing inAvengers: Infinity War. It's all sensation and no pulse. Everything is big, all of the time".[211]
Audience response
Audiences polled byCinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale,[156] and those atPostTrak gave the film an 87% overall positive score and a 68% "definite recommend".[158] American YouTube personality Tony "Nem" Mitchell watched the film 103 times in theaters, a world record. When Mitchell's streak was gaining media awareness around his 44th viewing, he noted that IMAX reached out to give him 50 free tickets to continue the streak, and the Russo brothers invited him toEndgame's premiere.[213][214][215] Mitchell said this was the way he "want[ed] to support Marvel and the Russo brothers".[213] Seventeen-year-old Kieran Harvey fromStaffordshire also watched the film in theaters 100 times. Harvey stated that he "didn't plan on seeing it this many times it just sort of happened" adding thatInfinity War "just felt so different to anything I've ever seen before, and I just love it so much so have been going as much as I can!"[216]
The ending of the film sparked variousInternet meme reactions,[217] including one referencing Spider-Man saying he does not feel good as he disintegrates, which was applied to other things.[218] The website,DidThanosKill.Me was created for fans to see if they would have been spared by Thanos or not.[219] The ending also spawned the creation of theReddit subreddit, /r/thanosdidnothingwrong. A user within the subreddit suggested that half of the approximately 20,000 subscribers at the time be banned from the subreddit, in order to mimic the events of the film. After the community agreed to the measure, the moderators approached Reddit's administrators to see if the mass ban would even be possible. Once the administrators agreed to the random ban of half the subscribers, it was set to occur on July 9, 2018.[220] Notice of the impending ban made the subreddit's subscribers increase to over 700,000,[221] including both of the Russos who subscribed.[222] Ahead of the ban, Brolin posted a video saying "Here we go, Reddit users," and ending it with a snap.[223] Over 60,000 people watched a liveTwitch stream of the ban occurring, which lasted several hours.[221] The ban of over 300,000 accounts, which included Anthony Russo, was the largest in Reddit's history.[221][224] Those banned then gathered in the new subreddit, /r/inthesoulstone.[220][221] One Reddit user who participated described the ban as embodying "the spirit of the Internet" with people "banding together, en masse, around something relatively meaningless but somehow decidedly awesome and hilarious".[224] Andrew Tigani ofScreen Rant said this showed "how impactful the film has already become to pop culture. It is also a testament to how valuable fan interaction can be via social media".[223]
Avengers: Endgame was released on April 26, 2019,[230] with the Russos returning to direct,[91] and Markus and McFeely once again writing the screenplay.[92]
