| The Avengers | |
|---|---|
 North American release poster |
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| Directed by | Joss Whedon |
| Produced by | Kevin Feige |
| Screenplay by | Joss Whedon |
| Story by |
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| Based on | The Avengers by |
| Starring | |
| Music by | Alan Silvestri |
| Cinematography | Seamus McGarvey |
| Editing by | |
| Studio | Marvel Studios |
| Distributed by | Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures1 |
| Release date(s) |
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| Running time | 143 minutes[1] |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $220 million[2] |
| Box office | $1,511,757,910[3] |
The film's development began when Marvel Studios received a loan from Merrill Lynch in April 2005. After the success of the film Iron Man in May 2008, Marvel announced that The Avengers would be released in July 2011. With the signing of Johansson in March 2009, the film was pushed back for a 2012 release. Whedon was brought on board in April 2010 and rewrote the screenplay originally written by Zak Penn. Production began in April 2011 in Albuquerque, New Mexico, before moving to Cleveland, Ohio, in August and New York City in September. The film was converted to 3D in post-production.
The Avengers premiered on April 11, 2012, at Hollywood's El Capitan Theatre and was released theatrically in the United States on May 4, 2012. The film received positive reviews from most film critics and set or tied numerous box office records, including the biggest opening weekend in North America and the fastest film to gross $1 billion. The Avengers grossed $1.51 billion worldwide, and became the third highest-grossing film of all time. The film was released on Blu-ray Disc and DVD on September 25, 2012. A sequel to be written and directed by Whedon is scheduled for release on May 1, 2015.
Contents
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Plot
The Asgardian Loki encounters the Other, the leader of an extraterrestrial race known as the Chitauri. In exchange for retrieving the Tesseract,2 a powerful energy source of unknown potential, the Other promises Loki a Chitauri army with which he can subjugate the Earth. Nick Fury, director of the espionage agency S.H.I.E.L.D., and his lieutenant Agent Maria Hill arrive at a remote research facility during an evacuation, where physicist Dr. Erik Selvig is leading a research team experimenting on the Tesseract. Agent Phil Coulson explains that the object has begun radiating an unusual form of energy. The Tesseract suddenly activates and opens a wormhole, allowing Loki to reach Earth. Loki takes the Tesseract and uses his scepter to enslave Selvig and several agents, including Clint Barton, to aid him in his getaway.In response to the attack, Fury reactivates the "Avengers Initiative". Agent Natasha Romanoff is sent to Calcutta to recruit Dr. Bruce Banner to trace the Tesseract through its gamma radiation emissions. Coulson visits Tony Stark to have him review Selvig's research, and Fury approaches Steve Rogers with an assignment to retrieve the Tesseract. While Barton steals iridium needed to stabilize the Tesseract's power, Loki causes a distraction in Stuttgart leading to a confrontation with Rogers, Stark, and Romanoff that ends with Loki's surrender. While Loki is being escorted to S.H.I.E.L.D., Thor, his adoptive brother, arrives and frees him hoping to convince him to abandon his plan and return to Asgard. After a confrontation with Stark and Rogers, Thor agrees to take Loki to S.H.I.E.L.D.'s flying aircraft carrier, the Helicarrier. There Loki is imprisoned while scientists Banner and Stark attempt to locate the Tesseract.
The Avengers become divided, both over how to approach Loki and the revelation that S.H.I.E.L.D. plans to harness the Tesseract to develop weapons as a deterrent against hostile extraterrestrials. As the group argues, Barton and Loki's other possessed agents attack the Helicarrier, disabling its engines in flight and causing Banner to transform into the Hulk. Stark and Rogers try to restart the damaged engine, and Thor attempts to stop the Hulk's rampage. Romanoff fights Barton, and knocks him unconscious, breaking Loki's mind control. Loki escapes after killing Coulson and ejecting Thor from the airship, while the Hulk falls to the ground after attacking a S.H.I.E.L.D. fighter jet. Fury uses Coulson's death to motivate the Avengers into working as a team. Stark and Rogers realize that simply defeating them will not be enough for Loki; he needs to overpower them publicly to validate himself as ruler of Earth. Loki uses the Tesseract, in conjunction with a device Selvig built, to open a wormhole above Stark Tower to the Chitauri fleet in space, launching his invasion.
The Avengers rally in defense of New York City, the wormhole's location, but quickly realize they will be overwhelmed as wave after wave of Chitauri descend upon Earth. Banner transforms into the Hulk, and together with Rogers, Stark, Thor, Barton and Romanoff, they battle the Chitauri while evacuating civilians. The Hulk goes after Loki and beats him into submission. Romanoff makes her way to the wormhole, where Selvig, freed of Loki's control, reveals that Loki's scepter can be used to close the wormhole. Meanwhile, Fury's superiors attempt to end the invasion by launching a nuclear missile at Manhattan. Stark intercepts the missile and takes it through the wormhole toward the Chitauri fleet. The missile detonates, destroying the Chitauri's mothership and leaving their forces disabled on Earth. Stark's suit runs out of power and he falls back through the wormhole, but the Hulk saves him from crashing to the ground. Romanoff deactivates the wormhole to prevent further invasion. In the aftermath, Thor returns Loki and the Tesseract to Asgard. Fury expresses confidence that the Avengers will return if and when they are needed.
In the first of two post-credits scenes, the Other confers with his master3 about the attack on Earth and humanity's resistance; in the second, the Avengers eat in silence at a shawarma restaurant.
Cast
- Robert Downey, Jr. as Tony Stark / Iron Man:
- A self-described genius, billionaire, playboy, and philanthropist with a mechanical suit of armor of his own invention. Downey was cast as part of his four-picture deal with Marvel Studios, which includes Iron Man 2 and The Avengers.[6] Downey said that he initially pushed Whedon to make Stark the lead: "Well, I said, 'I need to be in the opening sequence. I don't know what you're thinking, but Tony needs to drive this thing.' He was like, 'Okay, let's try that.' We tried it and it didn't work, because this is a different sort of thing, the story and the idea and the theme is the theme, and everybody is just an arm of the octopus."[7] About the character's evolution from previous films, Downey said, "In Iron Man, which was an origin story, he was his own epiphany and redemption of sorts. Iron Man 2 is all about not being an island, dealing with legacy issues and making space for others. . . In The Avengers, he's throwing it down with the others".[8]
- Chris Evans as Steve Rogers / Captain America:
- A World War II veteran who was enhanced to the peak of human physicality by an experimental serum and frozen in suspended animation before waking up in the modern world. Evans was cast as part of a deal to star in three Marvel films, in addition to The Avengers.[9] Evans said that Steve Rogers is much darker in The Avengers: "It's just about him trying to come to terms with the modern world. You've got to imagine, it's enough of a shock to accept the fact that you're in a completely different time, but everybody you know is dead. Everybody you cared about. . . He was a soldier, obviously, everybody he went to battle with, all of his brothers in arms, they're all dead. He's just lonely. I think in the beginning it's a fish-out-of-water scene, and it's tough. It's a tough pill for him to swallow. Then comes trying to find a balance with the modern world."[7] Regarding the dynamic between Rogers and Tony Stark, Evans said, "I think there's certainly a dichotomy—this kind of friction between myself and Tony Stark, they're polar opposites. One guy is flash and spotlight and smooth, and the other guy is selfless and in the shadows and kind of quiet and they have to get along. They explore that, and it's pretty fun".[10]
- Mark Ruffalo as Dr. Bruce Banner / Hulk:
- A genius scientist who, because of exposure to gamma radiation, transforms into a monster when enraged or agitated. Ruffalo, who was considered to play Banner in The Incredible Hulk before Edward Norton took the role,[11] was cast after negotiations between Marvel and Norton broke down.[12] About replacing Norton, Ruffalo said, "I'm a friend of Ed's, and yeah, that wasn't a great way for all that to go down. But the way I see it is that Ed has bequeathed this part to me. I look at it as my generation's Hamlet." About the character, he said, "He's a guy struggling with two sides of himself—the dark and the light—and everything he does in his life is filtered through issues of control. I grew up on the Bill Bixby TV series, which I thought was a really nuanced and real human way to look at the Hulk. I like that the part has those qualities".[13] Regarding the Hulk's place on the team, Ruffalo said, "He's like the teammate none of them are sure they want on their team. He's a loose cannon. It's like, 'Just throw a grenade in the middle of the group and let's hope it turns out well!"[14] This is the first production in which the actor playing Banner also plays the Hulk. Ruffalo told New York magazine, "I'm really excited. No one's ever played the Hulk exactly; they've always done CGI. They're going to do the Avatar stop-action, stop-motion capture. So I'll actually play the Hulk. That'll be fun".[15] The 3D model used to create the Hulk's body was modeled after Long Island bodybuilder and male stripper Steve Romm, while the Hulk's face was modeled after Ruffalo.[16] To create the Hulk's voice, Ruffalo's voice was blended with those of Lou Ferrigno and others;[17] however, the Hulk's only speaking line ("Puny god.") was provided solely by Ruffalo.[18]
- Chris Hemsworth as Thor:
- The crown prince of Asgard, based on the Norse mythological deity of the same name. Hemsworth was cast as part of a multiple movie deal.[19] He had previously worked with Joss Whedon on The Cabin in the Woods.[20] Hemsworth said that he was able to maintain the strength he built up for Thor by increasing his food intake, consisting of chicken breasts, fish, steak and eggs every day. When asked exactly how much, Hemsworth said, "My body weight in protein pretty much!"[21] He remarked that Thor's motivation "is much more of a personal one, in the sense that it's his brother that is stirring things up. Whereas everyone else, it's some bad guy who they've gotta take down. It's a different approach for me, or for Thor. He's constantly having to battle the greater good and what he should do vs. it's his little brother there. . . I've been frustrated with my brothers at times, or family, but I'm the only one who is allowed to be angry at them. There's a bit of that."[7]
- Scarlett Johansson as Natasha Romanoff / Black Widow:
- A highly trained spy working for S.H.I.E.L.D.[22] About the character and her relationship with Hawkeye, Johansson said, "Our characters have a long history. They've fought together for a long time in a lot of battles in many different countries. We're the two members of this avenging group who are skilled warriors — we have no superpowers. Black Widow is definitely one of the team, though. She's not in the cast simply to be a romantic foil or eye candy. She's there to fight, so I never felt like I was the only girl. We all have our various skills and it feels equal".[8] Regarding her training, Johansson said, "Even though Iron Man 2 was 'one-for-them,' I'd never done anything like that before. I'd never been physically driven in something, or a part of something so big. For The Avengers, I've spent so many months training with our stunt team, and fighting all the other actors, it's crazy. I do nothing but fight—all the time."[23]
- Jeremy Renner as Clint Barton / Hawkeye:
- An agent with S.H.I.E.L.D. and a master archer known in the comics as the "World's Greatest Marksman."[24][25] Renner said it was a very physical role and that he trained physically and practiced archery as much as possible in preparation.[26] About the role, Renner said, "When I saw Iron Man, I thought that was a really kick-ass approach to superheroes. Then they told me about this Hawkeye character, and I liked how he wasn't really a superhero; he's just a guy with a high skill set. I could connect to that."[8] Regarding Hawkeye's sniper mentality, Renner said, "It's a lonely game. He's an outcast. His only connection is to Scarlett's character, Natasha. It's like a left hand/right hand thing. They coexist, and you need them both, especially when it comes to a physical mission."[8] Renner said Hawkeye is not insecure about his humanity. "Quite the opposite, he's the only one who can really take down the Hulk with his [tranquilizer-tipped] arrows. He knows his limitations. But when it comes down to it, there has to be a sense of confidence in any superhero."[7]
- Tom Hiddleston as Loki:
- Thor's adoptive brother and nemesis, based on the Norse mythological deity of the same name.[19] About his character's evolution from the film Thor, Hiddleston said, "I think the Loki we see in The Avengers is further advanced. You have to ask yourself the question: How pleasant an experience is it disappearing into a wormhole that has been created by some kind of super nuclear explosion of his own making? So I think by the time Loki shows up in The Avengers, he's seen a few things."[27] About Loki's motivations, Hiddleston said, "At the beginning of The Avengers, he comes to Earth to subjugate it and his idea is to rule the human race as their king. And like all the delusional autocrats of human history, he thinks this is a great idea because if everyone is busy worshipping him, there will be no wars so he will create some kind of world peace by ruling them as a tyrant. But he is also kind of deluded in the fact that he thinks unlimited power will give him self-respect, so I haven't let go of the fact that he is still motivated by this terrible jealousy and kind of spiritual desolation".[28]
- Clark Gregg as Phil Coulson:
- An agent with S.H.I.E.L.D. who oversees many of the division's field operations.[29] Gregg was cast as part of a multi-picture deal with Marvel.[30] Gregg said his role was expanded in The Avengers: "[What] Agent Coulson had become in terms of the import of this particular story, and how important his job is in bringing the Avengers together, it kind of felt a little surreal, like somebody was playing a prank and that wasn't the real script. But it wasn't, it was the real thing, I got to show up and do that stuff, and it felt like such an amazing payoff to what the journey had been and the fact I had been doing it for five years."[31] Gregg said Whedon provided insight into his character's backstory, particularly about Coulson being a fan of Captain America.[31]
- Cobie Smulders as Maria Hill:
- An agent with S.H.I.E.L.D. who works closely with Jackson's Nick Fury.[32] Smulders, whom Joss Whedon once considered for his unproduced live-action Wonder Woman film, was selected from a short list of potential actresses including Morena Baccarin. Smulders' deal would integrate her into nine films.[33][34] Regarding her preparation, Smulders said, "I hired this amazing black-ops trainer to teach me how to hold a gun, take me to a shooting range, how to hit, how to hold myself, how to walk and basically how to look. I don't do a ton of fighting in the movie, which is why I wasn't offered a trainer, but I wanted to look like I had the ability to."[35] On relating to the character, Smulders said, "I can relate to her being a mom and being a businesswoman and trying to work full-time and raising a family and having a career. We're asked to do a lot of things these days. I feel she is just all about her job and keeping things going."[36]
- Stellan Skarsgård as Dr. Erik Selvig:
- An astrophysicist and a friend of Thor under Loki's control, who is studying the Tesseract's power.[37][38] Regarding Loki's control over Selvig, Skarsgård said, "Well with the scene we did in Thor, it was like Loki, one way or the other, entered Erik's mind. And in Avengers, you will see more clarity in how Loki is using Erik's mind."[38] About his role, he said, "[My character] is of importance but the size of the role is not big."[38]
- Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury:
- The director of S.H.I.E.L.D., who was revealed in previous films to be coordinating the "Avengers Initiative". Jackson was brought to the project with a deal containing an option to play the character in up to nine Marvel films.[39] Jackson said he does more in The Avengers than in any of the previous films: "You don't have to wait until the end of the movie to see me". About the role, Jackson said, "It's always good to play somebody [who] is a positive in society as opposed to somebody who is a negative. . . I tried to make him as honest to the story and as honest to what real-life would seem." Jackson compared the character to Ordell in Jackie Brown, calling him "a nice guy to hang out with. You just don't want to cross him".[40]
Production
Development
"It goes back to the very first incarnation of The Avengers, it goes
to The Ultimates, it goes to everything about it. It makes no sense,
it's ridiculous. There's a thunder god, there's a green 'id'
giant rage monster, there's Captain America from the 40s, there's Tony
Stark who definitely doesn't get along with anybody. Ultimately these
people don't belong together and the whole movie is about finding
yourself from community. And finding that you not only belong together
but you need each other, very much. Obviously this will be expressed
through punching but it will be the heart of the film."
—Joss Whedon, director of The Avengers, about the film.[43]
Casting began in October 2008 with Downey's signing. Though Don Cheadle was also reported to be reprising his Iron Man 2 role of War Machine for The Avengers, he later stated that he did not think the character would appear in the film.[50] At the same time, two major prospects occurred for Marvel; Jon Favreau was brought in as an executive producer for the film,[6] and the company signed a long-term lease with Raleigh Studios to produce three other big-budget films—Iron Man 2, Thor (2011), and Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)—at their Manhattan Beach, California complex.[51] Lou Ferrigno, who voiced Hulk in The Incredible Hulk, stated that he would be involved in the film.[52] In February 2009, Samuel L. Jackson signed a nine-picture deal with Marvel Entertainment to play Nick Fury in Iron Man 2 and other films.[39] In September 2009, Edward Norton, who played Bruce Banner in The Incredible Hulk stated that he was open to returning in the film.[53] The next month, executive producer Jon Favreau stated that he would not direct the film, but would "definitely have input and a say". Favreau also expressed concerns, stating, "It's going to be hard, because I was so involved in creating the world of Iron Man, and Iron Man is very much a tech-based hero, and then with Avengers you're going to be introducing some supernatural aspects because of Thor. . . . [Mixing] the two of those works very well in the comic books, but it's going to take a lot of thoughtfulness to make that all work and not blow the reality that we've created".[54] In March 2009, actress Scarlett Johansson replaced Emily Blunt in portraying Natasha Romanoff in Iron Man 2, a deal that subsequently attached her to The Avengers.[22] The female superhero Wasp was included in an earlier draft of the script written before Johansson's involvement.[55] The following day, Marvel announced that the film's release date had been pushed back to May 4, 2012, almost a full year later.[56] Chris Hemsworth and Tom Hiddleston joined the film's cast in June, returning as Thor and Loki, respectively.[19]
In July 2009, Penn talked about the crossover process, stating, "My job is to kind of shuttle between the different movies and make sure that finally we're mimicking that comic book structure where all of these movies are connected. . . There's just a board that tracks 'Here's where everything that happens in this movie overlaps with that movie'. . . I'm pushing them to do as many animatics as possible to animate the movie, to draw boards so that we're all working off the same visual ideas. But the exigencies of production take first priority".[57]
In January 2010, Marvel Studios chief Kevin Feige was asked if it would be difficult to meld the fantasy of Thor with the high-tech science fiction in Iron Man and The Avengers. "No," he said, "because we're doing the Jack Kirby/Stan Lee/Walt Simonson/J. Michael Straczynski Thor. We're not doing the blow-the-dust-off-of-the-old-Norse-book-in-your-library Thor. And in the Thor of the Marvel Universe, there's a race called the Asgardians. And we're linked through this Tree of Life that we're unaware of. It's real science, but we don't know about it yet. The 'Thor' movie is about teaching people that".[58] In March, it was reported that Penn had completed the first draft of the script, and that Marvel editor-in-chief Joe Quesada and Avengers comic-book writer Brian Michael Bendis had received copies.[59] Also in March, Chris Evans accepted an offer to play Captain America in three films including The Avengers.[9] In April 2010, Variety reported that Joss Whedon was close to completing a deal to direct the film, and to rework Penn's script.[60]
Pre-production
Joss Whedon, a fan of the Avengers comics, was announced as the film's director in July 2010,[61] a notion that was first hinted by Arad and comic co-creator Stan Lee.[62] Arad stated: "My personal opinion is that Joss will do a fantastic job. He loves these characters and is a fantastic writer. . . It's part of his life so you know he is going to protect it. . . I expect someone like him is going to make the script even better".[63] Whedon stated at the 2010 San Diego Comic-Con International, that what drew him to the film is that he loves how "these people shouldn't be in the same room let alone on the same team—and that is the definition of family".[64]The casting process continued into much of 2010, with the additions of Jeremy Renner,[24] Mark Ruffalo,[12] and Clark Gregg.[29] Ruffalo replaced Edward Norton, who Marvel declined to have back.[65] "We have made the decision to not bring Ed Norton back to portray the title role of Bruce Banner in The Avengers," stated Kevin Feige, Marvel's president of the production team. "Our decision is definitely not one based on monetary factors, but instead rooted in the need for an actor who embodies the creativity and collaborative spirit of our other talented cast members. The Avengers demands players who thrive working as part of an ensemble, as evidenced by Robert, Chris H, Chris E, Samuel, Scarlett, and all of our talented casts. We are looking to announce a name actor who fulfills these requirements, and is passionate about the iconic role in the coming weeks."[66] In response, Norton's agent Brian Swardstrom decried Feige's statement, calling it "purposefully misleading" and an "inappropriate attempt to paint our client in a negative light".[67]
In August 2010, it was reported that Paramount Pictures and Marvel Studios were planning to start shooting in February.[68] Simultaneously, it was declared that the film would be shot in 3D,[69] although Mark Ruffalo later tweeted that this was not the case.[70] In October 2010, Grumman Studios in Bethpage, New York[71] and the Steiner Studios in Brooklyn, New York City, were announced as filming locations,[72] with set construction slated to begin in November,[71] but as Whedon later explained, "Originally we were supposed to be in Los Angeles, then for a short period we were supposed to be in New York, and then somehow we ended up in Albuquerque."[4] Also that October, The Walt Disney Company agreed to pay Paramount at least $115 million for the worldwide distribution rights to Iron Man 3 and The Avengers.[73] The deal also allowed Paramount to continue to collect the 8 percent box office fee it would have earned for distributing the film and a marquee credit — placement of the company's logo on marketing materials. As a result, the onscreen production credit reads "Marvel Studios in association with Paramount Pictures" though the film is solely owned, distributed and marketed by Disney. Paramount's Epix retained pay TV rights.[74]
In December 2010, Governor of New Mexico Bill Richardson and Marvel Studios Co-president Louis D'Esposito announced The Avengers would film primarily in Albuquerque, New Mexico, with principal photography scheduled for April through September 2011. Parts of the film were also scheduled to be shot in Michigan,[75] but a plan to film in Detroit ended after Governor Rick Snyder issued a budget proposal that would eliminate a film tax incentive.[76] Three months later in March, Governor of Ohio John Kasich announced before Mayor Frank G. Jackson's State of the City address that The Avengers would film in Cleveland.[77]
Concept illustrator and designer of Iron Man's Mark VII armor Phil Saunders stated that "Joss Whedon was looking for something that had the 'cool' factor of the suitcase suit [from Iron Man 2], while still being a fully armored, heavy duty suit that could take on an army in the final battle." To that end, Saunders borrowed ideas that had been proposed in Iron Man 2 as well as some ideas that had been abandoned in Iron Man and merged them together in a modular suit that has big ammo packets on the arms and a backpack.[78] The Science & Entertainment Exchange also provided science consultation for the film.[79]
Casting reached its final stages the following year. In February 2011, Cobie Smulders acquired the role of Maria Hill,[34] after participating in screen tests conducted by Marvel for the role of a key S.H.I.E.L.D. member, who Samuel L. Jackson described as Nick Fury's sidekick.[33] Over the successive months, the film's cast expanded to include Stellan Skarsgård,[37] Paul Bettany,[80] and Gwyneth Paltrow.[81] Paltrow was cast at Downey's insistence; prior to this, Whedon had not intended the film to include supporting characters from the heroes' individual films, commenting, "You need to separate the characters from their support systems in order to create the isolation you need for a team."[82]
Filming
Part of The Avengers film set on East 9th Street in Cleveland, Ohio.
Part of The Avengers film set on Park Avenue in New York City.
Production relocated to Cleveland, Ohio in August 2011, where filming transpired over a period of four weeks. The city's East 9th Street was chosen as a double for New York City's 42nd Street to be used in climactic battle scenes.[87] Army Reserve soldiers assigned to the Columbus, Ohio-based 391st Military Police Battalion provided background action during the battle scenes in Cleveland. Staff Sergeant Michael T. Landis stated the use of real soldiers made the scenes more realistic and helped portray the military in a more positive light, explaining that, "It's easy for us to make on-the-spot corrections to tactics and uniforms, the director actually took our recommendation on one scene and let us all engage the enemy as opposed to only the gunners in the trucks engaging".[88] Filming also took place in the large vacuum chamber at the NASA Plum Brook Station near Sandusky, Ohio.[89] The station's Space Power Facility was used to portray a S.H.I.E.L.D. research facility.[90] A series of explosions were filmed at the Chevrolet powertrain plant in Parma, Ohio as part of the battle sequence that began in Cleveland.[91] Scenes from the film were also shot on Public Square and the Detroit–Superior Bridge.[92] Public Square's southwest quadrant was turned into Stuttgart, Germany, for filming.[93]
Principal photography concluded in New York City, where filming occurred over two days.[94] Filming locations in New York City included Park Avenue and Central Park.[95][96] For scenes taking place in Manhattan, visual effects supervisor Jake Morrison shot aerial footage for over three days to use as background plates, elaborating that his main objective was to "get as much aerial work in as possible for the audience to see the big expanses, the wide establishing shots, while also making sure that the effects work doesn't look too computer generated".[97] "We're getting much better at making entirely computer-generated environments," Morrison explained, "but there is no substitute for starting with a real image and adding what you need."[97]
Cinematographer Seamus McGarvey stated that he composed the frame with an 1.85:1 aspect ratio to cope with the varying heights of the main characters, explaining that "shooting 1.85:1 is kind of unusual for an epic film like this, but we needed the height in the screen to be able to frame in all the characters like Hulk, Captain America and Black Widow, who is much smaller. We had to give them all precedence and width within the frame. Also, Joss [Whedon] knew the final battle sequence was going to be this extravaganza in Manhattan, so the height and vertical scale of the buildings was going to be really important."[98] The film was McGarvey's first venture shooting with a digital camera, the Arri Alexa.[98] The Canon EOS 5D Mark II and Canon EOS 7D digital SLR cameras were used for some shots,[99][100] and high-speed shots were captured on 35 mm film with the Arriflex 435.[98] About his visual approach, McGarvey remarked, "Joss and I were keen on having a very visceral and naturalistic quality to the image. We wanted this to feel immersive and did not want a 'comic book look' that might distance an audience with the engagement of the film. We moved the camera a lot on Steadicam, cranes and on dollies to create kinetic images; and we chose angles that were dramatic, like low angles for heroic imagery."[98]
Post-production
In December 2011, Disney announced that the film would be converted to 3D.[101] Said Whedon, "I'm not a big fan of extreme long lens, talky movies — I like to see the space I'm in and relate to it, so 3D kinda fits my aesthetic anyway. And the technology has advanced so far in the past couple years." Whedon also said that "there definitely are movies that shouldn't be in 3D" but "The Avengers isn't obnoxiously 3D. There's no, 'Oh look, we're going to spend 20 minutes going through this tunnel because it's in 3D!' And no one is pointing at the screen the entire time. But it's an action movie. Things tend to hurtle toward the screen anyway".[102] In January 2012, it was reported that the film would be digitally remastered for IMAX 3D and open in IMAX theaters on May 4, 2012, the same day it opens in regular theaters. The film's IMAX release follows Marvel's IMAX releases of Iron Man 2 and Thor.[103]In a May 2012 interview, Whedon said that it was his decision to include Thanos in a post-credits scene, although the character is not identified in the film. "He for me is the most powerful and fascinating Marvel villain. He's the great grand daddy of the badasses and he's in love with Death and I just think that's so cute. For me, the greatest Avengers [comic book] was Avengers Annual #7 (1977) that Jim Starlin did followed by Marvel Two-in-One Annual #2 (1977) that contained the death of Adam Warlock. Those were some of the most important texts and I think underrated milestones in Marvel history and Thanos is all over that, so somebody had to be in control and had to be behind Loki's work and I was like 'It's got to be Thanos.' And they said 'Okay' and I'm like 'Oh my God!'"[104] An additional coda involving the Avengers eating shawarma was shot on April 12, 2012, a day after the world premiere.[105] (Shawarma sales in Los Angeles, St. Louis, and Boston reportedly skyrocketed in the days following the film's release.)[106][107][108]
ILM digitally recreated the vast majority of the New York cityscape used in the film. In total, ILM artists rendered an area of about ten city blocks by about four city blocks. To do this, ILM sent out a team of four photographers to take pictures of the area in a shoot that lasted 8 weeks.[110] Disney and Sony Pictures agreed for OsCorp Tower from The Amazing Spider-Man to be included in the film, but the idea was dropped because much of the skyline had already been completed.[112]
Weta Digital took over duties for animating Iron Man during the forest duel from ILM. Guy Williams, Weta's visual effects supervisor, said, "We shared assets back and forth with ILM, but our pipelines are unique and it's hard for other assets to plug into it. But in this case, we got their models and we had to redo the texture spaces because the way we texture maps is different."[111] Williams said the most difficult part was re-creating Iron Man's reflective metal surfaces.[110]
Scanline VFX completed the reveal shots of the Helicarrier, from the moment Black Widow and Captain America arrive on the carrier deck to the point where it lifts off.[110] Evil Eye Pictures composited digital backgrounds into shots filmed against a greenscreen for scenes taking place inside the Helicarrier.[110] Colin Strause of Hydraulx said, "We did the opening ten minutes of the movie, other than the opening set-up in space" including Loki's arrival on Earth and subsequent escape from the S.H.I.E.L.D. base.[110] Luma Pictures worked on shots featuring the Helicarrier's bridge and incorporated the graphic monitor displays that were developed by Cantina Creative.[110] Fuel VFX completed shots taking place in and around Tony Stark's penthouse at Stark Tower.[110] Digital Domain created the asteroid environment, where Loki encounters The Other.[110] Method Design in Los Angeles created the film's closing credits. Steve Viola, creative director at Method Design, said, "This piece was a two-minute, self-contained main on end sequence created entirely in CG. For each of the shots in the sequence, we designed, modeled, textured, and lit all of the environments and many of the foreground objects. We received assets from Marvel to include in the piece, then heavily re-modeled and re-surfaced them to create a post-battle macro sequence. We also designed a custom typeface for the Main Title of The Avengers as well as 30 credits set in-scene."[111]
Music
Main article: The Avengers (soundtrack)
In November 2011, Marvel announced that Alan Silvestri, who scored Captain America: The First Avenger, would write and compose the score for The Avengers.
Silvestri said, "I've worked on films where there have been a number of
stars and certainly worked on films where there have been characters of
equal weight in terms of their level of importance and profile in the
film, but this one is somewhat extreme in that regard because each of
these characters has their own world and it's a very different
situation. It's very challenging to look for a way to give everyone the
weight and consideration they need, but at the same time the film is
really about the coming together of these characters, which implies that
there is this entity called the Avengers which really has to be
representative of all of them together."[113] Silvestri developed the score with the London Symphony Orchestra at Abbey Road Studios in London, England.[114]
Whedon said, "The score is very old-fashioned, which is why [Silvestri]
was letter-perfect for this movie because he can give you the
heightened emotion, the [Hans Zimmer] school of 'I'm just feeling a lot right now!' but he can also be extraordinarily cue and character specific, which I love."[114]In March 2012, American alternative rock band Soundgarden announced through its Facebook page that its song "Live to Rise" would be included on the film's soundtrack.[115] Additionally, the Indian rock band Agnee released a music video for its single "Hello Andheron", which serves as the theme song for the film's Indian release.[116] The following day, Marvel revealed details for the soundtrack, which was released May 1, 2012, the same day as the score.[117]
Marketing
In August 2011, Walt Disney Pictures, Pixar Animation Studios and Marvel Studios presented a look at Walt Disney Studios' upcoming film slate, which included The Avengers, at the D23 Expo in Anaheim, California. The presentation featured footage from the film and appearances by the cast members.[120] Later in August, Disney dismissed Marvel's executive vice president of worldwide marketing, vice president of worldwide marketing and manager of worldwide marketing to bring their functions in-house.[121]
In October 2011, Marvel Studios held a presentation at the New York Comic Con that featured new footage and a panel discussion including producer Kevin Feige and several cast members.[122] The first full-length trailer was also released in October. Comic Book Resources said, "The two-minute teaser handily establishes the movie's premise" and is "heavy on the assembling, but fans are also treated to plenty of action, as well glimpses [sic] of Iron Man's new armor and, best of all, the new take on the Incredible Hulk. Naturally, Robert Downey Jr.'s Tony Stark gets the best lines".[123] However, The Hollywood Reporter called it, "Awesome. Or it would be if we hadn't seen all of this before and expected every single thing that we saw in the trailer".[124] The trailer, which debuted exclusively on iTunes Movie Trailers, was downloaded over 10 million times in its first 24 hours, breaking the website's record for the most-viewed trailer.[125] This record was surpassed by the trailer for The Dark Knight Rises, which was downloaded more than 12.5 million times in its first 24 hours.[126] A second full-length trailer was released on iTunes in February 2012, reaching a record 13.7 million downloads in 24 hours.[127] The theatrical trailers of The Avengers appeared with many films, including Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol, 21 Jump Street and The Hunger Games.[128]
In January 2012, Marvel Studios held a global Twitter chat. The 30-minute live tweeting event featured writer/director Joss Whedon, cast members Samuel L. Jackson, Tom Hiddleston and Clark Gregg and a 10-second tease of the 30-second Super Bowl commercial that would air during Super Bowl XLVI in February.[129] According to the Los Angeles Times, Disney paid an estimated $4 million for the 30-second spot.[130] On May 1, 2012, executives from Marvel Studios, along with actors Tom Hiddleston and Clark Gregg, rang the opening bell of the New York Stock Exchange in honor of the film's theatrical release.[131]
Tie-in comics
In December 2011, Marvel announced that an eight-issue comic-book prelude to the film, written by Christopher Yost and Eric Pearson with art by Luke Ross and Daniel HDR, would be released in March 2012.[132] In February 2012, Marvel announced the release of a second limited series comic book tie-in, Black Widow Strikes written by Fred Van Lente, who wrote Captain America: First Vengeance, the comic-book prequel to Captain America: The First Avenger. The story is set between Iron Man 2 and The Avengers and follows Black Widow as she runs down some loose ends from Iron Man 2.[133] Additionally, the title Avengers Assemble was launched in March 2012, written by Brian Michael Bendis with art by Mark Bagley and features the same Avengers line-up as the film battling a new incarnation of the supervillain team Zodiac.[134]Promotional partners
Paul Gitter, Marvel Entertainment's president of consumer products, commented that the build-up to the film helped strengthen retail partnerships: "Retailers have been less tolerant with [intellectual property] films, so we decided that if we started on this coordinated strategy several years ago, retailers would give us shelf space throughout the years and we would have a more sustainable position in the marketplace".[135]In September 2011, set photos of Robert Downey Jr. driving a new model Acura were published online. An Acura spokesperson later released a statement confirming the company's involvement with the film, "As you may know, Acura has been in the Marvel Comics Universe films as the official car of their fictional law enforcement agency called S.H.I.E.L.D. That relationship continues for The Avengers. The open-top sports car that was photographed yesterday is a one-off, fictional car that was made just for the movie and will not be produced. That said, as you may also know, our CEO has said publicly that we are studying the development of a new sportscar, but we can't say any more about it at this time."[136] In December 2011, Acura announced that a new NSX styled along the lines of the concept built for The Avengers would be unveiled at the 2012 North American International Auto Show.[137]
In February 2012, it was announced that Marvel has partnered with fragrance company JADS to promote The Avengers with character-based fragrances. The announcement was just ahead of the Toy Industry Association's annual February exhibition, where representatives held a sampling booth of the products.[138] Other promotional partners include bracelet-maker Colantotte, Dr Pepper, Farmers Insurance, Harley-Davidson, Hershey, Land O'Frost lunchmeats, Oracle, Red Baron pizza, Symantec, Visa and Wyndham Hotels & Resorts. In total, Marvel and its parent-company Disney secured an estimated $100 million in worldwide marketing support for the film. Notable exclusions include Baskin-Robbins, Burger King and Dunkin' Donuts, who had partnered with Marvel in the past when their films were distributed by Paramount. Disney does not generally promote through fast food outlets.[139]
Release
The film's world premiere was April 11, 2012, at Hollywood's El Capitan Theatre.[145] The Avengers closed the 11th Annual Tribeca Film Festival with a screening on April 28, 2012.[146] The film received an expanded one-week theatrical push for the 2012 U.S. Labor Day weekend, increasing the number of theaters from 123 to 1,700.[147]
Home media
The film was released by Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment[148][149] on Blu-ray, Blu-ray 3D, DVD and digital download on September 25, 2012 in the United States and as early as August 29, 2012 in various international markets.[150][151] Producer Kevin Feige said the Blu-ray features a new Marvel One-Shot titled Item 47 and "a number of deleted scenes and a few storylines that fell by the wayside during the editing process" including "a few more scenes with the S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Maria Hill, played by Cobie Smulders" and "some slightly different versions of Maria Hill and Nick Fury’s interaction with the World Security Council".[152]The film is also scheduled to be collected in a ten-disc box set titled Marvel Cinematic Universe: Phase One – Avengers Assembled which will include all of the "Phase One" films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.[153] However, in September 2012, the set's release, which was scheduled on the same day as the Blu-ray, was delayed until Q1 2013, due to a pending lawsuit over the suitcase used to package the collection.[154]
Some fans have criticized the U.K. DVD and Blu-ray release for omitting Joss Whedon's audio commentary, and for altering the scene involving Phil Coulson's death from the film's theatrical version.[155] Disney's U.K. division said the "less graphic depiction of Agent Coulson's confrontation with Loki" occurred because "[e]ach country has its own compliance issues relative to depictions of violence. Unfortunately, another region's elements were inadvertently used to create the UK in-home release".[155]
Upon its first week of release on home media in the U.S., the film topped the Nielsen VideoScan First Alert chart, which tracks overall disc sales, as well as the dedicated Blu-ray Disc sales chart with 72% of unit sales coming from Blu-ray, a record high for a new-release in which both the DVD and Blu-ray formats were released simultaneously. 23% of total Avengers sales came from the higher-priced Blu-ray 3D combo pack.[149]
In the 14 weeks since its home video release, the film has grossed $202.4 million in sales, bringing its total gross to $1,714,157,910.[156]
Reception
Critical reaction
Todd McCarthy of The Hollywood Reporter gave a positive review of the film, remarking, "It's clamorous, the save-the-world story is one everyone's seen time and again, and the characters have been around for more than half a century in 500 comic book issues. But Whedon and his cohorts have managed to stir all the personalities and ingredients together so that the resulting dish, however familiar, is irresistibly tasty again."[160] To Rolling Stone journalist Peter Travers, the film epitomized an exceptional blockbuster. "It's also the blockbuster," Travers said, "I saw in my head when I imagined a movie that brought together the idols of the Marvel world in one shiny, stupendously exciting package. It's Transformers with a brain, a heart and a working sense of humor."[161] Justin Chang of Variety wrote, "Like a superior, state-of-the-art model built from reconstituted parts, Joss Whedon's buoyant, witty and robustly entertaining superhero smash-up is escapism of a sophisticated order, boasting a tonal assurance and rich reserves of humor that offset the potentially lumbering and unavoidably formulaic aspects of this 143-minute team-origin story."[162] Kenneth Turan of the Los Angeles Times complimented the film's frenetic pace,[163] while Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times commented that it "provides its fans with exactly what they desire. Whether it is exactly what they deserve is arguable".[164] Conversely, A. O. Scott of The New York Times believed that "while The Avengers is hardly worth raging about, its failures are significant and dispiriting. The light, amusing bits cannot overcome the grinding, hectic emptiness, the bloated cynicism that is less a shortcoming of this particular film than a feature of the genre."[165]
The performances of several cast members was a frequent topic in the critiques. In particular, Mark Ruffalo's portrayal of Dr. Bruce Banner/the Hulk was well-received by commentators. Joe Neumaier opined that his performance was superior to the rest of the cast; "Ruffalo is the revelation, turning Banner into a wry reservoir of calm ready to become a volcano."[166] Similarly, The New Yorker's Anthony Lane proclaimed Ruffalo's acting to be one of the film's highlights—alongside Downey.[167] The Village Voice's Karina Longworth concluded: "Ruffalo successfully refreshes the Hulk myth, playing Banner as an adorably bashful nerd-genius who, in contrast to the preening hunks on the team, knows better than to draw attention to himself."[168] Travers asserted that the actor resonated a "scruffy warmth and humor" vibe,[161] while Turan felt that he surpassed predecessors Edward Norton and Eric Bana in playing the character.[163] Owen Gleiberman of Entertainment Weekly wrote that "the smartest thing the filmmakers did was to get Mark Ruffalo to play Bruce Banner as a man so sensitive that he's at war, every moment, with himself. (The film finally solves the Hulk problem: He's a lot more fun in small doses.)"[169]
Referring to Downey, Joe Morgenstein of The Wall Street Journal—despite complimenting Downey's performance—favored his work in Iron Man over his acting in The Avengers: "His Iron Man is certainly a team player, but Mr. Downey comes to the party with two insuperable superpowers: a character of established sophistication—the industrialist/inventor Tony Stark, a sharp-tongued man of the world—and his own quicksilver presence that finds its finest expression in self-irony."[170] Neumaier praised Evans, stating that he accurately conveyed his character's internal conflicts.[166]
Commentators appreciated the character development and dialogue. Associated Press reviewer Christy Lemire wrote that the script "sparkles as brightly as the special effects; these people may be wearing ridiculous costumes but they're well fleshed-out underneath."[171] Scott suggested that certain parts of the film permeated a charm that he felt was similar to the western film Rio Bravo (1959).[165] Longworth felt that while Whedon's script demonstrated the backstory of the characters, the film does not explore it "in a substantive way".[168]
Box office
Pre-release audience tracking showed that interest for the film was "incredibly strong", with interest very high among men and strong among women. The tracking suggested that the film could gross over $125 million during its three-day opening weekend in North America, with online ticket pre-sales selling out.[172] Further tracking suggested that the gross could exceed $150 million.[173] The film tracked ahead of The Dark Knight and The Hunger Games, which held the record for the second and third best opening weekends behind Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 respectively.[173] On MovieTickets.com, North American ticket presales during the week before release exceeded those of Captain America: The First Avenger, Iron Man, Iron Man 2, and Thor combined during the same period, by over 150%.[174]The Avengers grossed $623,357,910 in North America and $888,400,000 in other countries, for a worldwide total of $1,511,757,910.[3] It became the third highest-grossing film worldwide[175] as well as highest-grossing 2012 film. It is the highest-grossing comic-book adaptation, the highest grossing superhero film and the highest-grossing film ever released by the Walt Disney Studios.[176] The film's worldwide opening of $392.5 million is the third largest.[177] The Avengers also became the fifth film distributed by Disney and the twelfth film overall to earn more than $1 billion. It reached this milestone in 19 days, matching the record for speed previously set by Avatar and Deathly Hallows – Part 2.[178][179][180] Its grosses exceeded its estimated $220 million production cost 12 days after its release.[181]
The film became the fourth-highest grossing film,[182] the highest-grossing Disney-distributed film,[183] the highest-grossing 2012 film,[184] and the highest-grossing superhero film.[179] It opened Wednesday, April 25, 2012, in 10 countries, earning $17.1 million.[185] It opened in 29 more countries on April 26 and 27, earning $73.1 million in three days.[186] Through Sunday, April 29, it earned an opening-weekend total of $185.1 million from 39 countries.[187] It was in first place at the box office outside North America for four consecutive weekends.[188][189][190] The film set opening-day records in New Zealand, Malaysia and Iceland, a single-day record in the Philippines, as well as both single- and opening-day records in Singapore and in Thailand. It also earned the second highest-grossing opening day in Australia ($6.2 million), behind Deathly Hallows – Part 2, in Mexico, in the Philippines and in Vietnam.[128][185][186][191][192] It set opening-weekend records in many territories, including Mexico, Brazil, Ecuador, Bolivia, Taiwan, the Philippines, Hong Kong, the United Arab Emirates, Argentina (the latter overtaken by Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted),[193] Peru and Central America (the last two overtaken by Ice Age: Continental Drift).[187][194][195][196] It also earned the second largest five-day opening in Australia ($20.2 million).[187][197] In the U.K., Ireland and Malta, it earned £2.5 million ($4.1 million) on its opening day[198] and £15.8 million ($25.7 million) during the weekend,[199] setting an opening-weekend record for a superhero film.[192][200] It became the U.K.'s highest-grossing superhero film.[201] In Latin America, it became the highest-grossing film ($207 million)[202] and the first film to earn more than $200 million.[203] It also became the highest-grossing film in the Philippines, in Singapore and in Indonesia.[204]
The film became the third highest-grossing film,[175][205] the highest-grossing 2012 film,[206] the highest grossing film distributed by Walt Disney Studios,[207] the highest-grossing superhero film and the highest-grossing film based on comics.[3] It opened Friday, May 4, 2012, on around 11,800 screens across 4,349 theaters, and earned $80.8 million, marking the second-biggest opening and second-biggest single-day gross, behind Deathly Hallows – Part 2.[208][209] The film's Friday gross included an $18.7 million midnight run, a record for a superhero film[210] (overtaken by The Dark Knight Rises).[211] Without midnight grosses, the film earned the largest opening-day gross ($62.1 million).[212] It also set a Saturday- and Sunday-gross record ($69.6 million and $57.1 million respectively).[213][214][215] In total, it earned a total of $207,438,708 for its debut weekend, setting an opening-weekend record, including an IMAX opening-weekend record of $15.3 million[216][217] (overtaken by The Dark Knight Rises)[218] and a record for opening-weekend grosses originating from 3D showings ($108 million), which was previously held by Alice in Wonderland.[215][219] The opening-weekend audience was evenly split among those under and over the age of 25, with 60% of the audience male, 55% couples, 24% families and 21% teenagers.[220] Earning $103.1 million on its second weekend, the film set a record for the largest second-weekend gross, a record previously held by Avatar.[221] Other records set by the film include the biggest weekend per-theater average for a wide release ($47,698 per theater),[222] the fastest film to reach $100 million and each additional $50 million through $550 million,[221][223][224] and the largest cumulative gross every day of release through forty-three days (with the exception of its opening day).[3][225] It was in first place at the North American box office for three consecutive weekends.[226] The film set a record for the highest monthly share (previously held by Spider-Man), with its $532.5 million total (through May 31, 2012) accounting for 52% of the total earnings at the North American box office during May.[227]
