Avengers: Infinity War has Already Made History
While Black Panther is still not done making history, Avengers: Infinity War is already getting in on the action—two plus weeks before its premiere. This is the kind of sibling rivalry that T’Challa and Shuri might understand. Infinity War has already broken the first-day ticket sales set by Black Panther, and now it has sold more advanced tickets than the past seven Marvel Cinematic Universe movies—combined. That’s Black Panther, Captain America: Civil War, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Thor: Ragnarok, Ant-Man, Spider-Man: Homecoming, and Doctor Strange. Again—combined.
This news comes from Fandango‘s managing editor Erik Davis:
THIS JUST IN: #InfinityWar has sold more than double the amount of tix as #BlackPanther two weeks from release – and not only that, it’s sold more tickets than the last 7 (!!) @MarvelStudios movies combined. The film is going to be massive https://t.co/Z6LDToPXml
— ErikDavis (@ErikDavis) April 11, 2018
None of this technically surprising, considering Infinity War is a little like all seven of those movies combined, narratively, but it still manages to inspire awe at just how much interest the MCU generates in general, and Avengers films in particular. The fact that Infinity War has bested those movies stings a little less for the Black Panther or Thor: Ragnarok enthusiast precisely because those beloved characters are part of the reason this movie is tracking for yet another historic Marvel opening weekend.
What will be really intriguing will be what happens when people actually see the film and that all important word-of-mouth train leaves the station. Yes, pretty much any Marvel movie is practically guaranteed to do very well at the box office, but there’s a huge difference between very well and historic, and that’s largely fueled by the actual enthusiasm for the particular story being told. This is what catapulted Ryan Coogler’s Black Panther from a success story to a historic one, and its also what helped Taika Waititi’s Thor: Ragnarok do so well. People were pumped about these movies, and that enthusiasm helped fuel those films well past the bank shot opening weekend.
We’re feeling very bullish on the critical prospects for the Russo Brothers Infinity War. The fact they’ve made this a Thanos film is very interesting—its the first Marvel film to be told from the perspective of the villain. After all, the movies that make history are the ones that dare to defy expectations (to a point, anyway) and go boldly in the direction their creators are most passionate about. Once again, Black Panther is an excellent example, as the film not only didn’t shy away from Africa’s painful history, but embraced the continent and was inspired by its varied cultures, customs and history to create the fictional nation of Wakanda. Ditto Thor: Ragnarok, which was probably the funniest Marvel film ever, which was not surprising considering its director is the same man who co-wrote and co-directed the hysterical What We Do In The Shadows.
The Russo Brothers may seem like the perfect Marvel directors—guys who get the job done, nothing more—but they’re actually very singular talents who made two great Captain America films (The Winter Soldier and Civil War) with very specific viewpoints. They’re also the same guys who directed many great episodes of the one of the most hilarious shows in recent memory, Arrested Development. They’ve got the chops to make Infinity War not just a big behemoth of a movie that makes a ton of movie opening weekend, but one that keeps people coming to the theater in the weeks after because the story they’re telling is as interesting and epic as the advanced ticket sales were robust.
Featured image: Marvel Studios’ AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR..Iron Man/Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.). Photo: Film Frame. ©Marvel Studios 2018
