How Avengers 4's Box Office Can Beat Infinity War

Avengers 4 is all but assured to be one of 2019's biggest box office hits, but how can Marvel ensure it tops Infinity War? Released this past April, Infinity War marked the beginning of the end for the MCU as we know it, bringing together all the various corners of the ever-growing franchise in the fight against Thanos. Given how wildly successful Marvel's movies have been ever since Iron Man in 2008, it didn't come as any surprise when Infinity War broke box office records and cruised to the $2 billion mark worldwide - becoming just the fourth film in history to earn that much money.

Of course, Infinity War ended with the jaw-dropping cliffhanger that left half of the MCU disintegrated into dust, and the survivors left to pick up the pieces. The story will reach its true culmination next summer when Avengers 4 opens, and Marvel is understandably being quite secretive when it comes to what might be their biggest project yet. As of this writing, they've yet to announce the official title, but all signs indicate a promotional push will begin shortly. As fans await the first trailer, we look at how Avengers 4 can become a bigger box office smash than its predecessor.

Market Avengers 4 Like It's "The End"

2019 is the year of movies lying about being the end of their respective franchises, but in Marvel's case, there's some truth to it. Avengers 4 will be the closing chapter of this sprawling, 22-film saga audiences have been following for the past decade, before the next generation of heroes takes over in more substantial roles. There's a reason why the original six Avengers were among the living as the credits rolled on Infinity War. It was a way of establishing that Avengers 4 is going to be that group's last hurrah as they band together and save the world one final time - before death and/or retirement become factors.

As such, the Avengers 4 advertising campaign needs to hammer this point home. It can't be marketed as just another Marvel movie (which it surely won't) or even similar to Infinity War. This sounds crazy to say, but the novelty of seeing all the property's heroes onscreen together is gone. Marvel can't get by on billing Avengers 4 as a reunion between viewers and old friends. Even with the likes of Spider-Man: Far From Home, Black Panther 2, and others on the horizon, casual moviegoers (the group primarily responsible for getting these tentpoles up to $1 billion and $2 billion globally) need to know for all intents and purposes, this is "the end." Placing an emphasis on characters like Tony Stark and Steve Rogers will certainly help in this regard, as the contracts of Robert Downey, Jr., Chris Evans, and others are about to expire.

This is a tried and true strategy in Hollywood that typically works well. A famous example from this decade is Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2, which (at the time, anyway) was the last film in J.K. Rowling's Wizarding World. Unadjusted for inflation, it's the highest-grossing film of the series with $381 million domestically (a substantial uptick from Part 1's $295.9 million) and $1.3 billion worldwide (Part 1 made $960.3 million). Back in 2005, Revenge of the Sith was sold as the last episode in the Skywalker saga and outgrossed Attack of the Clones by more than $200 million globally ($848.8 million vs. $640.9 million). Roping people into believing an upcoming movie is the final time is an easy way to play the project up as an "event," which increases demand to see it as soon as possible.

Additionally, Marvel can implement the high levels of Avengers 4 secrecy into the marketing materials. Ever since Infinity War ended, fans have wanted to know what comes next and how (or... if) the dusted heroes return. Marvel's actors are infamous for spoiling details they're not supposed to, but the studio can do what they can in trailers, posters, and TV spot to keep most of the pertinent aspects under lock and key. This is a film that practically sells itself, so there's no need to go overboard and spell out the plot trajectory in a theatrical preview. As we've seen with Star Wars, tapping into the mystery box and maintaining a few surprises can be beneficial - especially when working with a world-famous brand. The Force Awakens' trailers revealed minimal plot information, sold fans on atmosphere and nostalgia, and took home a cool $2 billion. When people are already onboard with seeing a movie, the marketing department can get a little creative.

Page 2: Avengers 4 Needs To Be A Good Movie

Avengers 4 Has To Be A Good Movie

This point is rather obvious, but Avengers 4 needs to be of high quality and generate positive word-of-mouth if it's to match Infinity War's totals. One look at the short list of $2 billion earners proves that. People roll their eyes at James Cameron's Avatar now, but in 2009, it was an unprecedented cinematic event, the dawn of a new 3D era, and a major contender at the Oscars (with nominations in Best Picture and Best Director). It was a movie that needed to be seen in theaters in order to be fully appreciated. Titanic (coincidentally, also directed by Cameron) became the love story of a generation, received widespread critical praise, and a record-tying 11 Oscar wins. The Force Awakens was the first new Star Wars movie in 10 years, the best reviewed since 1980, and the long-awaited return of original trilogy icons. Its release was unlike anything the entertainment industry has (or will) ever seen.

What those three movies have in common is repeat viewings. Films don't reach $2 billion without audiences returning to the theater time and time again to lose themselves in a story or place that had a serious impact on them. Typically, this means the movies in question are, well, good. That was certainly the case with Infinity War, which continued the MCU's Certified Fresh streak on Rotten Tomatoes and live up to the hype and anticipation surrounding it. It may not be remembered as the best offering under the franchise's umbrella (case in point: Disney's pushing Black Panther for the major awards this year), but by most accounts, Joe and Anthony Russo stuck the landing and pulled off an incredible undertaking. It's a borderline movie miracle something like Infinity War even exists - yet alone turned out as well as it did.

Avengers Infinity War set photo - Anthony and Joe Russo

So far, there's nothing to indicate Avengers 4 is going to be the combo breaker and end Marvel's prolonged run of critically beloved blockbusters. The Russos have been very valuable assets to the MCU ever since they made their debut on 2014's Captain America: The Winter Soldier (widely regarded as one of the franchise's strongest movies), balancing increasingly larger ensemble casts each time out. They have a good handle on this universe and the characters, as do co-writers Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely. And the cast have long been comfortable in their respective roles and will bring everything they have to the table, knowing full well this could be their final go-around. If Avengers 4 is as epic and entertaining as the Russos' previous Marvel movies, fans will line up around the block several times to get in. Remember, some people saw Infinity War literally hundreds of times, so there's an extremely passionate following interested in what's next for Earth's Mightiest.

If there's anything that could get in Avengers 4's way to matching Infinity War, it's the release date. Three-quarters of the $2 billion club debuted in December, taking advantage of minimal competition in January to soar to incredible heights. Granted, Infinity War was able to pull it off, but it's still incredibly rare for a summer release to earn that much money. May has plenty of heavy-hitters like Detective Pikachu and the live-action Aladdin remake that will be hoping to make a splash. Neither of those will earn as much as Avengers 4, but they'll still generate substantial business and take away repeat viewings from Marvel. Pikachu is based on a worldwide phenomenon and Aladdin is a popular Disney title. There's always a chance Marvel shifts the Avengers 4 release to April (like they did with Infinity War) to give it more of a cushion.

Even in a year with Star Wars: Episode IX, Toy Story 4, and other major movies, Avengers 4 could end up becoming the highest-grossing movie of 2019. Whether it passes its predecessor is another matter altogether. Whenever a movie shatters records, it's rare for its direct sequel to equal it or do better. Of course, there's never been anything like the twin Avengers projects before, so this is largely unprecedented territory. This is the movie Marvel has been building towards for more than 10 years and 21 films. Everyone will be out in full force to see it.