Avengers: Infinity War

**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 nineteenth film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the seventh film in Phase Three. It is the sequel to 2012's The Avengers and 2015's Avengers: Age of Ultron. It was directed by Anthony and Joe Russo, written by Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely.

## Plot

Deep in space, the Statesman has been attacked by the Sanctuary II, the ship of Thanos. Half of its passengers have been killed by the Black Order, the children of Thanos. One of them, Ebony Maw, announces that the survivors should rejoice in their defeat by Thanos. With Heimdall and Thor unable to even stand, Loki is brought before Thanos himself. Thor, Heimdall, and Loki soon find out that Thanos, wielding the Infinity Gauntlet already accommodating the Power Stone, had begun his quest of hunting down the Infinity Stones personally.

Thanos demands that Loki hand over the Tesseract, threatening to kill Thor if he doesn't comply. Loki initially hesitates, to which Thanos responds by torturing Thor with the Power Stone. Eventually, Loki can no longer see his brother suffer and reveals the Tesseract - which he had retrieved from Odin's Vault prior to Asgard's destruction - much to Thor's disappointment. However, Loki doesn't hand it over, and buys sufficient time for Hulk to attack Thanos and save Thor from Thanos' grasp. Unfortunately, Thanos quickly overpowers and subdues the Hulk. Thor attempts to fight Thanos, only to be quickly defeated and immobilized in pieces of metal by Maw. With the Statesman's surviving members helpless against the power of Thanos, Heimdall saves the Hulk's life by summoning the power of the Bifrost Bridge the last time and teleporting him to Earth and safe from harm.

In retaliation, Thanos kills Heimdall, leaving Thor in anguish. After this, the Tesseract - which had been left on the floor, is handed over to Thanos by Maw. Thanos crushes the Tesseract and inserts the Space stone within it into his gauntlet. Now in possession of two stones, Thanos orders his children to invade Earth and retrieve both the Mind Stone and the Time Stone. Loki then suddenly interrupts by pretending to pledge loyalty to Thanos. As he does so, he commits the bold yet fatal action of trying to kill Thanos with a dagger.

Thanos sees through Loki's attempt and foils him with his newly acquired stone, and proceeds to grab him by the neck. Thor only helplessly watches as Thanos breaks Loki's neck before his very eyes. Thanos uses the Power Stone to destroy the Statesman while he and the Black Order teleport away, leaving Thor to die as he mourns over his brother's dead body as the ship explodes around him.

Meanwhile, on Earth, Hulk crashes into the New York Sanctum via Bifrost and turns back into Bruce Banner, informing Doctor Strange and Wong about Thanos. Strange and Banner find Tony Stark, who is having a date with Pepper Potts, and bring him to the Sanctum as well. Strange, Wong, Banner, and Stark discuss the Infinity Stones, eventually surmising that Thanos is looking for both the Time Stone, held in the Eye of Agamotto,, and the Mind Stone, kept by Vision.

Banner insists that Thanos is the most formidable enemy they have ever faced, revealing that he was Loki's sponsor during the Battle of New York and will wipe out half the universe if he completes the Infinity Gauntlet. Stark suggests simply destroying the Time Stone since they've got it on hand, but Strange refuses as he and Wong have pledged to protect it with their lives. Banner asks where Vision is, and Stark admits that he's lost track of him. Stark brings Banner up to date with everything that happened since he left Earth; the Avengers have disbanded, and he is no longer on speaking terms with Steve Rogers. Banner implores Stark to call Rogers, insisting that whatever happened between them doesn't matter compared to what is coming. Convinced, Stark takes out the phone Rogers sent him after the Avengers Civil War and prepares to make the call.

Before he can, however, an ominous hum rings through the air, accompanied by a change in air flow. A massive, ring-shaped Q-Ship hovers above New York City, causing panic and fear in the streets. Strange manages to shut the ship's engine off as Ebony Maw and another of Thanos' children, the hulking Cull Obsidian, approach them. While Strange, Stark, Wong and Banner confront the invaders, the Q-Ship is witnessed from afar by Peter Parker, who rushes in to investigate. A turbulent battle erupts in the streets, but Banner finds himself unable to transform into Hulk, despite his best attempts.

As Wong fights Cull, trapping him in the Arctic with his Sling Ring, Ebony Maw, a fierce telekinetic, successfully abducts Strange, with Time Stone in tow. Unbeknownst to Maw, however, both Iron Man and Spider-Man - who is granted his Iron Spider Armor - manage to stow away in Maw's Q-Ship. As Wong returns to the sanctum to protect it, Banner finds Stark's phone and decides to call Rogers himself.

Having survived the vacuum of space after the Statesman's blast, Thor is rescued by the Guardians of the Galaxy, who received the Asgardians' distress call. They take him aboard the Benatar, where Thor tells of how Thanos killed half the Asgardians to obtain the Space Stone and decimated Xandar to obtain the Power Stone. Gamora recounts how Thanos travelled from planet to planet, killing half the population of each, and will do the same to the entire universe should he complete the Gauntlet by merely snapping his fingers.

They figure that Thanos will be headed to Knowhere in order to take the Reality Stone from the Collector. Thor decides to leave for Nidavellir, as he intends to ask Eitri to craft him a new weapon. Thor leaves with Rocket Raccoon and Groot while Star-Lord, Gamora, Drax the Destroyer and Mantis depart for Knowhere.

Meanwhile, Proxima Midnight and Corvus Glaive, two more of Thanos' children, ambush Vision, who attempts to live a normal life with Wanda Maximoff in Scotland. Vision is deeply weakened in the attack, while Maximoff barely manages to hold her own against both assailants. However, reinforcements arrive in the form of Rogers, Falcon and Black Widow, who have been contacted and filled in by Banner. Together, they force Proxima Midnight and a heavily wounded Corvus Glaive to retreat before returning to the New Avengers Facility.

Remembering how Thanos destroyed half of her people and adopted her in the process, Gamora makes Quill promise that he will kill her if she gets captured by Thanos. Although Quill is reluctant, Gamora makes him promise and swear on his mother. He eventually agrees, and the two share a kiss. As they arrive on a deserted Knowhere, the Guardians of the Galaxy witness Thanos violently interrogating the Collector over the location of the Reality Stone. Unfortunately, the group makes too much noise and Thanos realizes their presence. Gamora goes on the offense, attacking and promptly defeating the Titan, who falls to the ground, seemingly killed.

However, the group discovers that Thanos has already acquired the Reality Stone and has been using it to cast a massive illusion. He drops the illusion, revealing a burning Knowhere and himself, alive and well. Thanos had expected Gamora to come and fight him and is aware that she is the only person who knows the location of the elusive Soul Stone. Thanos easily subdues Gamora and incapacitates Drax and Mantis. Quill aims to fire at Thanos' head, but Gamora begs Quill to keep his promise and kill her, with Thanos pushing Gamora against the gun, inviting him to do so. Despite his heartbreak, Quill pulls the trigger, only for the gun to shoot harmless bubbles, thanks to the Reality Stone. Thanos then teleports away with Gamora.

Back at the facility, James Rhodes discusses recent events with Thaddeus Ross, who is outraged at Vision's recent disappearance. Rhodes counters that Vision is only missing because of the Sokovia Accords, which even he now regrets signing. Rogers, Wilson, Romanoff, Vision, and Maximoff arrive, and Ross demands they all be arrested. Rhodes cuts his transmission off, an act which will likely end his military career, and greets his old teammates.

Banner emerges as well, sharing a brief reunion with everyone. After bringing everyone up to speed, Banner suggests calling in Hawkeye for help, but Romanoff explains that he as well as Scott Lang are unavailable, having surrendered themselves to the US government, making deals to be placed under house arrest with their families. Together, the team decides that the Mind Stone must be destroyed and that Maximoff is the only member powerful enough to do so. However, in order to destroy the stone without killing Vision, Rogers suggests traveling to Wakanda. In Wakanda, T'Challa and Okoye deliver a new vibranium arm to Bucky Barnes, who has recovered from his mental programming.

In Ebony Maw's Q-Ship, Stark and Parker successfully rescue Strange by blowing a hole in the ship's hull, fatally shooting Ebony Maw into space. While Strange advocates returning to Earth, Stark suggests keeping the course set on Titan in an effort to keep an element of surprise over Thanos. Strange agrees but warns Stark that he will have to protect the Time Stone, even if it means sacrificing him or Parker.

On the Sanctuary II, Gamora tells Thanos that she doesn't know the location of the Soul Stone and calls her adoptive father insane for planning to exterminate half of all life in the universe, though Thanos insists on the righteousness of his ultimate desire for "perfect balance". He informs Gamora that her home planet Zen-Whoberi has been thriving since he eradicated half of its population. As Thanos needs the Soul Stone to fulfil his goal, he reveals that Nebula is his prisoner. Thanos tortures Nebula in front of Gamora, slowly pulling her body apart. Unable to bear it, Gamora reveals that the Soul Stone is hidden on Vormir.

Meanwhile, Thor, Rocket Raccoon and Groot land in Nidavellir, where the forges have gone frozen and dark. They encounter Eitri, now the only remaining Dwarf on the forge, and he explains that Thanos ordered him to craft the Infinity Gauntlet, crippling the Dwarf afterward so he could never forge anything else. However, Thor convinces Eitri that, working together, they have the power to defeat Thanos. In order to do so, they plan on crafting a new weapon for Thor - Stormbreaker, a weapon that can summon the power of the Bifrost. On Sanctuary II, Nebula manages to free herself and send a message to the Guardians of the Galaxy, imploring them using an important message recorder to meet her on Titan.

Stark, Strange and Parker barely manage to land the Q-Ship on Titan's surface, where they are immediately ambushed by the Guardians, who have mistaken them for Thanos' minions. After a few tense moments where Quill believes Stark and his companions to be in league with Thanos, they all agree to work together. While the rest of the group tries to devise a plan, Strange uses the Time Stone to look into alternate futures. He then reports to his allies: out of the fourteen million six hundred and five visions of the future that he foresaw, they were victorious in none but only one alone.

Thanos and Gamora teleport to Vormir, where they are greeted by Red Skull, now acting as a keeper for the Soul Stone. Schmidt tells Thanos that he must sacrifice what he loves the most in order to obtain the stone. Gamora is sadly amused, as she believes that Thanos does not love anyone or anything, making him incapable of completing the sacrifice or fulfilling his plans. When she sees that he is crying, she is incredulous at first. Schmidt tells her he isn't weeping for himself, but for her. Thanos sacrifices his daughter by throwing her from the cliff to her death and later awakes in possession of the Soul Stone.

Meanwhile, the Avengers take Vision to Wakanda, where they are greeted by T'Challa and Barnes. They ask Shuri if she can safely extract the Mind Stone from Vision and she confirms that she can, but that it will take some time. Maximoff is ordered to stand by at the operation table, ready to destroy the stone once it's free. Moments later, massive drop ships land outside of Wakanda's protective energy dome. Meanwhile, Thor and Rocket successfully revive the star core of Nidavellir, but due to the mechanisms of the forge being damaged, Thor is forced to risk his life, using his own body to hold the forge's iris open.

As massive armies of Outriders led by Proxima Midnight and Cull Obsidian arrive in Wakanda, T'Challa gathers Dora Milaje, Wakandan Royal Guard, the Border Tribe and the Jabari Tribe led by M'Baku, accompanied by Rogers, Barnes, Wilson, Rhodes, Romanoff and Banner using a suit of Hulkbuster armour, to meet them, hoping to buy Shuri enough time to complete her work. At first, the Outriders blindly throw themselves against the protective energy dome surrounding Wakanda, with many perishing against the dome's surface and only a few actually making it through.

However, once the Outriders begin to move around the edge of the dome, Banner alerts the team that the beasts could potentially flank them, gaining a clear path to Vision. T'Challa decides to partly open the barrier in an effort to keep the enemies in front of them. The strategy is effective, but at the cost of massive hordes of Outriders suddenly invading Wakanda, quickly starting a fierce battle.

While Thor and Rocket are able to break the ice that immobilizes the rings of Nidavellir's forge, the mechanism that focuses the neutron star's power are damaged. Thor exposes himself to the full power of the star, giving the forge enough time to melt the special metal needed to craft Stormbreaker. Thor is left near death, and while Eitri successfully moulded the metal, the axe's handle cannot be found. Groot sacrifices his left arm for the weapon's handle, activating its powers and reviving Thor.

Although they are able to take down many of hostiles, the Avengers and Wakandan armies are quickly outnumbered and overrun by the Outriders. However, Thor arrives via Bifrost with Rocket and Groot, using Stormbreaker to turn the battle in favour of the defenders of Earth.

Thanos arrives on Titan and is greeted by Strange. During a brief conversation with Strange, he reveals that Titan was his home and that overpopulation led it to ruin. Thanos had suggested that half the population be killed at random to save the planet, a suggestion which was obviously seen as insane. Thanos now believes himself to be merciful as he plans to simply snap his fingers after acquiring all six Infinity Stones and cause half the universe's population to cease to exist without causing much pain, after which Thanos plans on simply resting.

Nevertheless, they engage Thanos in an intense battle but Thanos single-handedly repels the assaults of the Avengers, the Guardians, and Strange until Nebula arrives and distracts him. Eventually Strange, Parker and Drax manage to pin down Thanos' limbs while Mantis uses her powers to put him to sleep. Although she fails and he remains half-conscious, he is still weakened enough that he is totally incapacitated allowing Stark to try and force the Gauntlet off Thanos' hand. However, when Nebula deduces that Thanos has killed Gamora, Quill becomes enraged and attacks the Mad Titan, causing him to regain consciousness just as the Gauntlet was about to be taken off.

The fight turns decisively in Thanos' favour as he unleashes the full might of the Infinity Stones upon his attackers, swiftly repelling them all. Thanos then confronts and overpowers Strange but realizes that Strange never used the Time Stone in the fight because Strange hid it. Before he can try to locate it, Iron Man attacks him, but is quickly outmatched and seriously wounded when Thanos stabs him in the stomach. As Thanos prepares to execute Stark, Strange agrees to hand over the Time Stone to Thanos in exchange for Stark being spared. Thanos agrees and inserts the Stone into the Gauntlet and departs to retrieve the last Stone.

In Wakanda, the Black Order launches Threshers, massive siege weapons which lay waste on the battlefield, prompting Maximoff to join and save Romanoff and Okoye. However, what no one has realized is that Corvus Glaive has successfully infiltrated the lab where he knocks out Shuri and her guards before the extraction of the Mind Stone can be completed. Glaive then attempts to take the Mind Stone from Vision who flees on to the battlefield and attempts to fight back, but Corvus Glaive and Cull Obsidian overpower him.

Banner arrives and manages to kill Cull Obsidian despite still being unable to turn into the Hulk while Rogers fights against Corvus Glaive. Meanwhile, despite holding her own against the combined forces of Maximoff, Romanoff and Okoye, Proxima Midnight is killed as well when Maximoff forces her into the path of a Thresher. Rogers is defeated, but Vision stabs Corvus Glaive with his own weapon from behind, killing him. With the Black Order defeated and the Outriders routed by Thor, the Avengers seem victorious.

However, Thanos teleports to Wakanda as well to obtain the Mind Stone. All the Avengers, Okoye, T'Challa, and Groot gather to defend Vision, but Thanos effortlessly defeats them one by one, including Rogers, who is briefly able to hold back Thanos, much to the Titan's surprise. Realizing that they have no other choice, Vision asks Maximoff to destroy the Mind Stone herself, which will likely kill Vision.

She reluctantly agrees and successfully shatters the Mind Stone moments before Thanos can get it, vaporizing both it and Vision. However, Thanos uses the power of the Time Stone to reverse time and restores both Vision and the Mind Stone, which he rips off the Mind Stone from Vision's skull, killing him for good. Having finally gathered all six Infinity Stones, Thanos prepares to execute his plan, but Thor arrives and catches Thanos off guard, unleashing his full power and the full might of Stormbreaker upon the Titan in a last-minute attempt to stop him, severely wounding Thanos as Stormbreaker buries itself in his chest.

However, Thanos survives the attack. He mocks Thor for not having hit him in the head and snaps his fingers in the Gauntlet, completing his plan. Thanos is momentarily transported into the Soulworld, where he sees a younger Gamora, who asks what the cost of achieving his goal was. Sadly, Thanos admits that it has cost him "everything".

Thanos then returns to the real world, with the Gauntlet now mangled from the massive amount of energy used, and Thor furiously questions Thanos about what he did as a rumble can be heard throughout the universe. Thanos simply smirks at him and teleports away. As Thor is left to wonder what the outcome will be, Barnes suddenly turns to ash in front of Rogers. The effects of the snap manifest: half of the Wakandan army disintegrates as does T'Challa, Groot, Maximoff, and Wilson, leaving the survivors, regrouping around Vision's body, to look in horror and unable to do anything but accept defeat.

On Titan, Mantis, Drax and Quill vanish, along with Strange, who tells Stark that there was "no other way". Parker is the last to vanish and tearfully begs Stark not to let him go. While a traumatized Stark laments his failure, Nebula, the only other survivor, solemnly remarks that Thanos has achieved his goal. Thanos retires himself on a distant planet and rests while satisfactorily gazing out to the sunrise, considering his job done and smiling slightly at his triumph.

In a post-credit scene, Nick Fury and Maria Hill are monitoring the battle in Wakanda when they witness the effects of the Snap: an SUV crashes in front of them and when Hill looks inside, the driver has vanished. A helicopter crashes into a nearby skyscraper, seemingly pilotless. When Hill turns to dust in front of him, Fury grabs an old-fashioned pager and prepares to send a distress signal. When he starts to vanish as well, Fury laments his death but manages to activate the Pager, which displays a star pattern with a blue and red background.

## Cast

* Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark / Iron Man
* Chris Hemsworth as Thor
* Mark Ruffalo as Bruce Banner / Hulk
* Chris Evans as Steve Rogers / Captain America
* Scarlett Johansson as Natasha Romanoff / Black Widow
* Don Cheadle as James Rhodes / War Machine
* Benedict Cumberbatch as Stephen Strange / Doctor Strange
* Tom Holland as Peter Parker / Spider-Man
* Chadwick Boseman as T'Challa / Black Panther
* Zoe Saldana as Gamora
	+ Ariana Greenblatt as Young Gamora
* Karen Gillan as Nebula
* Tom Hiddleston as Loki
* Paul Bettany as Vision
* Elizabeth Olsen as Wanda Maximoff / Scarlet Witch
* Anthony Mackie as Sam Wilson / Falcon
* Sebastian Stan as Bucky Barnes / Winter Soldier
* Idris Elba as Heimdall
* Danai Gurira as Okoye
* Peter Dinklage as King Eitri
* Benedict Wong as Master Wong
* Pom Klementieff as Mantis
* Dave Bautista as Drax the Destroyer
* Vin Diesel as Groot
	+ Sean Gunn as Rocket Racoon (motion capture)
* Gwyneth Paltrow as Pepper Potts
* Benicio del Toro as Taneleer Tivan / Collector
* Josh Brolin as Thanos
* Chris Pratt as Peter Quill / Star-Lord
* William Hurt as Secretary Thaddeus Ross
* Letitia Wright as Princess Shuri
* Terry Notary as Cull Obsidian / Groot (motion capture)
* Tom Vaughan-Lawlor as Ebony Maw
* Carrie Coon as Proxima Midnight
	+ Monique Ganderton as Proxima Midnight
* Michael Shaw as Corvus Glaive
* Stan Lee as Bus Driver
* Winston Duke as M'Baku
* Florence Kasumba as Ayo
* Kerry Condon as F.R.I.D.A.Y.
* Jacob Batalon as Ned Leeds
* Tiffany Espensen as Cindy Moon
* Isabella Amara as Sally Avril
* Ethan Dizon as Tiny McKeever
* Michael Barbieri as Charles Murphy
* Ross Marquand as Johann Schmidt / Red Skull
* Ameenah Kaplan as Gamora's Mother
* Samuel L. Jackson as Director Nick Fury
* Cobie Smulders as Maria Hill
* Jon Favreau as Happy Hogan
* Joe Russo as Bert

## Production

In October 2014, Marvel announced a two-part sequel to Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015), titled Avengers: Infinity War. Part 1 was scheduled to be released on May 4, 2018, with Part 2 scheduled for May 3, 2019. In April 2015, Marvel announced that Anthony and Joe Russo would direct both parts of Avengers: Infinity War, with back-to-back filming expected to begin in 2016. The next month, Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely had signed on to write the screenplays for both parts of the film, which draws inspiration from Jim Starlin's 1991 The Infinity Gauntlet comic and Jonathan Hickman's 2013 Infinity comic. 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". Producer Kevin Feige said that the Infinity War films were subtitled Part 1 and Part 2 "because they have such shared elements, it felt appropriate... But I wouldn't call it one story that's cut in half. I would say it's going to be two distinct movies". In May 2016, the Russo's 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". That July, Marvel revealed Part 1's title would be shortened to simply Avengers: Infinity War.

Principal photography began on January 23, 2017, under the working title Mary Lou, at Pinewood Atlanta Studios in Fayette County, Georgia, with Trent Opaloch as director of photography. Infinity War, along with Avengers: Endgame, were shot using IMAX/Arri 2D cameras, thus marking the first time that a Hollywood feature film was shot entirely with IMAX digital cameras. 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. Additional filming took place in Scotland beginning in February 2017. The filming occurred in Edinburgh, Glasgow and the Scottish Highlands, with studio work taking place at Wardpark Studios in Cumbernauld. In late June 2017, filming occurred in Downtown Atlanta, as well as Atlanta's Central Park in early July, before moving to Queens, New York in the middle of the month. Filming concluded on July 14, 2017. For the film's final scene, where Thanos settles in a nipa hut, the filmmakers worked with Thailand studio Indochina Productions to acquire footage of the Banaue Rice Terraces at Ifugao, Philippines.

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". 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. Visual effects for the film were created by Industrial Light & Magic, Framestore, Method Studios, Weta Digital, DNEG, Cinesite, Digital Domain, Rise, Lola VFX, and Perception. With an estimated budget in the range of $316–400 million, it is one of the most expensive films ever made. Evans and Hemsworth both earned $15 million for the film.

## Music

See Also: Avengers: Infinity War Soundtrack and Music of Marvel Cinematic Universe

In June 2016, Alan Silvestri, who composed the score for The Avengers (2012), was revealed to be returning to score both Infinity War and Endgame. Silvestri recorded his score from January 2018 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". Ludwig Göransson's theme from Black Panther is used in the film. Hollywood Records and Marvel 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.

## Marketing

In May 2017, Robert Downey Jr. and his philanthropic organization Random Act Funding partnered with Omaze for a contest in which a randomly chosen winner from those that donated would receive an Infinity War set visit. A life-sized statue of Thanos, created by Legacy Effects, was on display at D23 Expo 2017, alongside statues of the Black Order / "Children of Thanos": Corvus Glaive, Proxima Midnight, Ebony Maw, and Cull Obsidian. 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. The footage, which was screened exclusively for the panel, received strong audience reaction, with fans "literally on their feet and jumping as the footage played". Julia Alexander of Polygon 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." 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". Haleigh Foutch for Collider 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 and world-building. While it's impossible to tell from two minutes work of footage, it certainly looks like that gamble paid off". The D23 footage was also shown at the 2017 San Diego Comic-Con International. 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 behind Thor: Ragnarok and Justice League (2017), according to comScore and its PreAct service. Infinity War stayed in third the following week, with over 41,000 new social media conversations, behind Ragnarok and It (2017). By the week of October 16, Infinity War had generated over 679,000 total social media conversations.
To promote the film's first trailer, Marvel released a compilation video of some of its previous trailers since Iron Man (2008), "paired with fan reaction videos to those trailers". The first trailer for Avengers: Infinity War debuted on Good Morning America on November 29, 2017. Josh Spiegel of The Hollywood Reporter said, "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". 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". 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 between Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017) and Thor: 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 for Black Panther that happened after the conventions provided additional context. 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. 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.

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. A commercial for Infinity War aired during Super Bowl LII and generated the most social media buzz of all the films advertised according to comScore and United Talent Agency; it was viewed 17.6 million times across YouTube and Facebook. 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 to Starlight Children's Foundation if these posts collectively reached 1 million likes, while Disney planned to donate 10% of all Marvel's Disney Store sales in the United States and online on the weekend of March 3 to the Make-A-Wish Foundation, up to $50,000. Hasbro and Funko each donated $1 million worth of cash and products, to Give Kids the World Village and Starlight, respectively.

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. 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". 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". 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 (2017) (128 million views). 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. Marvel also featured tie-in events across seven of their mobile games to promote the film. In early May, Marvel and Epic Games announced the "Infinity Gauntlet Limited Time Mashup" mode for Fortnite 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 of Fortnite and approached Donald Mustard, the worldwide creative director of Epic Games, about the potential for a crossover between the properties. On November 20, Little, Brown and Company published 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 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".

All-in-all, the studio spent an estimated $150 million on prints and advertisements promoting the film. 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.

## Release

### Theatrical

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. 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, and was shown in IMAX and 3D on select screens. In the United States, the film opened in 4,474 theatres, 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 theatres. 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. In India, the film had the biggest release ever for a Hollywood film, opening on nearly 2,000 screens in four languages. The film also screened in 515 4DX theatres in 59 countries. Avengers: Infinity War was originally scheduled to be released on May 4, 2018 in the United States. The Chinese release of the film, which opened on May 11, 2018, was originally scheduled to end on June 10, 2018, but was granted a "rare" extension of 30 days, to end on July 9, 2018.

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 Russo's said 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 theatres". 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 of Infinity War. The El Capitan Theatre in Los Angeles had a similar marathon for the film's release.

### Home Media

Avengers: Infinity War was released on digital download by Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment on July 31, 2018, and on Ultra HD Blu-ray, Blu-ray, and DVD 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 Russo's, Jon Favreau, Joss Whedon, James Gunn, Ryan Coogler, Peyton Reed, and Taika Waititi. 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.

Despite being shot with IMAX cameras and released in IMAX theatres in the 1.90:1 aspect ratio, the home media release did not include the film in that aspect ratio, instead including a cropped 2.39:1 aspect ratio that was used for non-IMAX screenings. Joe Russo said they "spent a long time trying to" have the IMAX version on the home media, but since the IMAX Corporation has "agency over that format", the situation was "complicated". He did not rule out the possibility that this version could be available at a later point.

## Reception

### Box Office

Avengers: Infinity War grossed $678.8 million in the United States and Canada, and $1.370 billion in other territories, for a worldwide total of $2.048 billion. It became the fourth-highest-grossing film of all time, as well as the highest-grossing film of 2018, the highest-grossing MCU film, and the highest-grossing superhero film.

Its worldwide opening weekend of $640.5 million was the biggest of all time, beating The Fate of the Furious' (2017) $541.9 million. It was later beat by its sequel, Avengers: Endgame, which grossed $1.481 billion in its opening weekend. It was the fastest film to make $1 billion at the worldwide box office, doing so in 11 days to eclipse Star Wars: The Force Awakens' (2015) record of 12 days. Also, in its second weekend, Infinity War passed $13.5 million from 4DX screens, which was the all-time record for the format. On June 12, 2018, Avengers: Infinity War passed the $2 billion mark at the worldwide box office, becoming the fourth film to cross that milestone after Avatar (2009), Titanic (1997), and The Force Awakens. Crossing the mark in 48 days, it was the second-fastest to that point, after Avatar's 47-day record. With $140 million worldwide from IMAX, the film is the third-largest worldwide in the format, behind Avatar and The Force Awakens, and the largest for a Marvel film. Deadline Hollywood estimated the net profit of the film to be $500 million, accounting for production budgets, P&A, talent participations and other costs, with box office grosses and ancillary revenues from home media, placing it first on their list of 2018's "Most Valuable Blockbusters".

#### Pre-Sale Ticket Records

In December 2017, a survey from Fandango indicated that Infinity War was the most anticipated film of 2018. Fandango later reported that Infinity 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 by Black Panther. Atom Tickets reported that Infinity War sold more tickets in its first pre-sales day than Black Panther sold in its first month. 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 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. 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. A week before the film released, The Wall Street Journal said the film had sold more than $50 million worth of advance tickets, behind only The Force Awakens and Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017), 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.

#### 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 (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, behind The Force Awakens' $119.1 million; its Saturday gross of $83 million was the best-ever Saturday gross, beating Jurassic World's (2015) $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 the highest-grossing opening weekend, 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. 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 (2015) ($14 million), and the second-best Monday gross for an MCU film, after Black Panther ($40.1 million). 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.

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. 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. The film's fourth weekend saw it come in second, behind Deadpool 2, and in its fifth it finished third behind Solo: A Star Wars Story and Deadpool 2. 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). It remained in the top ten through its ninth weekend. In the United States and Canada, it went on to become the fourth-highest-grossing film of all time, and the second-highest-grossing superhero film, behind Black Panther.

#### 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). 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, Hong Kong, Vietnam, Central America, Peru, Chile, Ecuador, Venezuela, Bolivia, South Africa, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, and West Africa, with many also setting opening day records. France had the biggest superhero opening in the market with $17.7 million, 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; 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. Argentina had the second-highest opening day of all time, while Germany had the best superhero film opening day of all time, ultimately earning $14.7 million, which was the best superhero opening ever. Many other European countries and the Middle East also broke superhero film records. 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.

Avengers: Infinity War remained number one in its 54 markets in its second weekend. 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, the Russian 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 the Victory Day, only Russian films would be played in the cinema theatres. Infinity War was also the first film in Russia to sell more than 1 million tickets in a single day, 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. 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. Infinity War also broke China's pre-sale record of 400 million yuan ($63 million). In India, Infinity War became the first Hollywood film to earn over ₹2 billion net ($29.7 million), and also became the highest-grossing MCU film in the United Kingdom. In its sixth weekend, the film became the highest-grossing MCU film in Japan with $33 million.

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, 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. As of June 17, 2018, the film's top markets are China ($373.4 million), the United Kingdom ($95.7 million), and South Korea ($92.8 million). The film is the third-highest-grossing film of all time in territories outside the United States and Canada.

### Critical Response

The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported an approval rating of 85% with an average score of 7.63/10, based on 456 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) realises its gargantuan ambitions." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 68 out of 100 based on 54 critics, indicating "generally favourable reviews".
Todd McCarthy of The 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". 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". 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". 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, humour 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". 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". 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". Gleiberman called the scale of the action "astonishing", 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". 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".

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". 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". 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". 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" since the Marvel "assembly line [is not stopped] from chugging ahead with its signature polished, mechanized efficiency". 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". 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".

### Audience Response

Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale, while PostTrak reported filmgoers gave it an 87% overall positive score and a 68% "definite recommend". American YouTube personality Tony "Nem" Mitchell watched the film 103 times in theatres, 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 to Endgame's premiere. Mitchell said this was the way he "wanted to support Marvel and the Russo brothers". Seventeen-year-old Kieran Harvey from Staffordshire also watched the film in theatres 100 times. Harvey stated that he "didn't plan on seeing it this many times it just sort of happened" adding that Infinity 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!"

The ending of the film sparked various Internet meme reactions, including one referencing Spider-Man saying he does not feel good as he disintegrates, which was applied to other things. The website, DidThanosKill.Me was created for fans to see if they would have been spared by Thanos or not. The ending also spawned the creation of the Reddit 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. Notice of the impending ban made the subreddit's subscribers increase to over 700,000, including both of the Russo's who subscribed. Ahead of the ban, Brolin posted a video saying "Here we go, Reddit users," and ending it with a snap. Over 60,000 people watched a live Twitch stream of the ban occurring, which lasted several hours. The ban of over 300,000 accounts, which included Anthony Russo, was the largest in Reddit's history. Those banned then gathered in the new subreddit, /r/inthesoulstone. 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". Andrew Tigani of Screen 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".

## Sequel

See Also: Avengers: Endgame

Avengers: Endgame was released on April 26, 2019, with the Russo's returning to direct, and Markus and McFeely once again writing the screenplay.