The trailers have been released. The character posters have been shared. Now, all that stands between fans and the release of April’s “Avengers: Endgame” is to purchase their opening night tickets. And as with the 21 other films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the opening weekend of ‘Endgame’ is sure to be an experience unlike other films. And one-half of the directors behind the new ‘Avengers’ film, Joe Russo, knows this all too well.
“The best thing I think Marvel’s done is to galvanize the audience,” the director said, in an interview with Box Office Pro. “It’s like a rock concert when you go to a Marvel movie on opening weekend. There’s an energy and an excitement there that you’re not going to get sitting at home. There’s a sense of community. There are people cheering and laughing and crying and following along with the story collectively in a way I don’t know you’ll see again outside of the ‘Star Wars’ franchise. The emotional connection is so strong for a lot of people.”
As for their latest Marvel Studios film, Joe Russo has zero doubt in his mind that the reaction to ‘Endgame’ is going to eclipse the fervor that surrounded the release of ‘Infinity War.’ “It’s going to be a unique and singular experience in movie history, and people are going to want to share that experience together—even more than ‘Infinity War,’ frankly,” he said.
With so much of the film shrouded in secrecy, fans don’t even have a clue what the tone and genre are for ‘Endgame.’ Is it going to have jokes and silly moments like previous Marvel Studios films? Common sense would dictate, yes, but the trailers have been the definition of dour. And when Russo was asked to clarify the tone of this film, all he would say is that it’s different than ‘Infinity War.’
“That’s a tricky one to answer without giving anything away, but I will say that the movie is definitely unique in tone,” the director said. “It has its own spirit that’s different than ‘Infinity War,’ which is why I was keen for us to separate the movies. Of course, we’re handing off narratives and it’s been serialized over 22 movies. But, it’s different tonally than ‘Infinity War’ and it is told from a different point of view.”
One aspect of the film that Joe Russo is willing to talk about is one of the themes. “What is the definition of ‘hero?’ he said. “All four of [our Marvel Studios] films, when looked at together, ask that question and try to answer that thematic: What does it mean to be a hero and what does it mean to stand up?”
The filmmaker also discussed one of the more difficult parts of making a Marvel Studios film – the inevitability of spoilers. Last year, the Russo Brothers famously wrote an open letter to fans begging them to not share spoilers until people have had the chance to see the film for themselves. This year, with ‘Endgame,’ Joe Russo says he’s probably going to do the same thing because the new film is packed with even more revelations.
“At a certain point, I’m sure we’ll write another letter this year that asks everyone to stay off the internet,” explained Russo. “I think this one has even more spoilers than the last one. This is a culture that wants everything now, and it’s getting worse. The world is connected via social media, and information travels within seconds. If you’ve been following along with this narrative for 10 years, you’re going to want to protect yourself. It’s best to go in clean. I encourage people to go opening weekend because I’m sure everything is going to hit the internet the moment the movie hits the screen.”
“Avengers: Endgame” will arrive in theaters worldwide on April 26. And if you don’t see it that day, you’re going to want to avoid the internet at all costs.