Infinity War comes out this month, and it figures to be the biggest cinematic event of the year. True, Black Panther already shattered a number of records of its own with an early-2018 release, and Isle Of Dogs could be one of the early award contenders for the year. But Infinity War is the biggest film Marvel Studios has produced to date, which is obviously saying something.
All indications are that this is going to be a critical and financial blockbuster. Before the reviews start pouring in, however, we have some final guesses and expectations for this most anticipated release.
The Highest-Grossing Film Of All Time? – Suffice it to say the potential is there for this film to break all records related to cinematic revenue, and possibly in short time. Of course, modern films make more money (because of general inflation, 3D ticket sales, etc.), and even this year there will be other contenders like Jurassic World and Solo: A Star Wars Story. But with Infinity War already breaking sales records weeks ahead of its wide release, it seems the sky’s the limit for this one. This is a shot in the dark, but we could well be looking at a $2 billion film.
A Rotating Door Of Protagonists? – If you look around at theories, guesses, and rumours about this movie, you’ll see lots of predictions about which if any Avengers might meet their end. Near the top of the list are Tony Stark/Iron Man and Steve Rogers/Captain America. And incidentally, both have potential heirs in place. Captain America: Civil War established Spider-Man as a sort of prot for Stark, and there’s comic book precedent for a character like Falcon or Winter Soldier assuming the mantle of Captain America in the event of Rogers’s death.
A Harbinger Of Gaming News? – Marvel gaming news has been exciting over the last year or two. The company first abandoned its forays into casino gaming. This gave ground to DC Comics, which still produces games for comic book enthusiasts in this genre. However, to make up for that loss Marvel ramped up its mobile and console gaming efforts – and now people are eagerly awaiting word on a major Avengers console game. The film likely won’t directly launch any game of this kind, but it’s easy to imagine its popularity leading right to more news on the gaming front.
Ripe For Casting Surprises? – This film has such a massive cast that were still not entirely sure whos in it. Just recently we learned that Emmy winner Carrie Coon would be appearing, and that begs the question of who else we might be unaware of. The expectation has to be that at least one or two cameos will be made, which invites a fun guessing game.
The Beginning Of The End? – This is not a suggestion that the MCU is anywhere close to wrapping up. We already know about additional films and phases that have yet to begin, so there’s plenty of material on the way. However, if you think of the era of superhero cinema as an arc, beginning with Iron Man in 2008, it’s easy to think of things this way. It could be that Civil War was a sort of end of the beginning, and Infinity War the beginning of the end, with the peak of the arc somewhere in between them. That is to say, while there’s plenty left, things may be starting to wind down ever-so-subtly.