What is the Avengers Infinity War Marathon?

On April 27^th, the latest and biggest film to date in the Marvel Cinematic Catalogue is being released across the world. The film Avengers Infinity War is an event unto itself, but there are many die-hard fans that are looking to experience this event in the most extreme way possible: Marathon Binge the Marvel Movies!

When I was a child I remember the concept of a viewing marathon was first introduced to me with the New Year’s Eve Twilight Zone Marathons and The Christmas Story being run on repeat all day on Christmas. As time went on, cable channels would also run a marathon of the original Star Wars Trilogy on Memorial Day Weekend. But in today’s modern streaming world binging TV Shows and movies is common place. Common place in the home. And why wouldn’t it be? You’ve got everything you need, food, a bathroom, and the ability to pause and rewind. While these binges can be fun, they don’t hold the same impact as going to an event and being a part of a crowd.

One can argue that you can have a massive gathering of friends meet and watch a marathon on someone’s big screen TV with surround sound. Heck, you might even have a 3-D Television. You might even force your friends to dress up and bring food; make it into a real party. And that may be what you are looking for, but if you want to do a real marathon, you must show real commitment. Sitting your bum in a theater seat for hours watching film after film in a dark cinema surrounded by a crowd of people who you share nothing in common with other than your excitement and passion for the entertainment on the screen; that’s commitment. And people with that level of commitment are fans.

In 2012 to celebrate the release of Marvel’s The Avengers, AMC theaters offered a fan event unlike any other: The Ultimate Marvel Marathon. The Ultimate Marvel Marathon at that time was 6 films: Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, Iron Man 2, Thor, Captain America, and The Avengers. The films were screened in order of their release for one day with The Avengers to be screened at midnight.

My wife (then girlfriend) and I attended this event.  At the event we were given lanyards that showed the start times of each film and granted us access in and out of theater. We were even given free refills on drinks and popcorn. That alone seemed the price of admission, but there was one surprise that blew my mind and I have not seen at another marathon to this day. Before the first Iron Man screened that day, a pre-recorded video played with Clark Gregg portraying his iconic role of SHIELD Agent Coulson. In a 1-2 minute video he introduced the film in character and took a few jabs at the character of Tony Stark calling him narcissistic and volatile. This continued for each film as spoke about Bruce Banner, Natasha Romanoff, Thor, and Steve Rogers. He appeared one last time before the screening of Avengers. Little did we know his character would get a spear through the chest in the film and become a major turning point for the team.

I assume this event was a success from both a PR and financial stand point because just a year later AMC returned with an Iron Man Marathon which included Iron Man, Iron Man 2, The Avengers, and Iron Man 3. I did not attend this marathon because it was not all Marvel Movies. But it didn’t need to be. This was telling the story of only Iron Man. And this time AMC wasn’t alone. In Los Angeles, The El Capitan (a theater owned by the Walt Disney Company in Hollywood, Ca) also put on the same marathon. As the films in the Marvel Series continued, so did the marathons. The next major marathon would not take place until 2015 for Avengers Age of Ultron. Thus was the return of the Ultimate Marvel Marathon.

While both AMC and The El Capitan would both host simultaneous marathons, my wife (you better believe I married that beautiful girl that went with me to that marathon in 2012) and I bought tickets for The El Capitan. The event was hosted by The Nerdist Company (then owned by Chris Hardwick) and did not just involve free refills and cool lanyards. Between each film there would be a contest giveaway for cool swag. Additionally, they would punch your lanyard as proof of you completing a film in the marathon. They also had free subway sandwiches midway through the event. And special guests. In fact, it was during this marathon that the actress Deborah Ann Woll (True Blood, Marvel’s Daredevil) came out to give news that Daredevil was to be renewed for a second season. During this marathon they played 10 films (at the time the entire catalogue of films) as lead up to the screening of Avengers Age of Ultron. This was to be the last time you could sit in a theater and watch all the Marvel films in one sitting.

The next big event was for Captain America Civil War. This marathon played
all the films starring Captain America including: The First Avenger, The Avengers, The Winter Soldier, Age of Ultron and finally Civil War. That’s still only 5 movies. Half of the films from the last marathon. It was starting to look like the marathons would be exclusive to the main characters now.

This brings us to the newest Marathon: Avengers Infinity War. For this Marathon they have not only cut back how many theaters will playing the marathon (7 theaters in the United States only), but also the amount of films to be played during the marathon. The films to be played are Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, Thor, Captain America The First Avenger, The Avengers, Guardians of the Galaxy, Avengers Age of Ultron, Captain America Civil War, Spiderman Homecoming, Doctor Strange, Black Panther and then finally Infinity War. That’s only 12 films out of the total 18. Sure 12 films is a lot to sit through, but why only 12?

I reached out to The El Capitan Theater and through various channels I was able to get a few questions answered about the marathon from Director of the El Capitan Theater James Wood.

They were unable to specify the reason that only 12 of the 18 films were being used in this screening, but did clarify that film selection was provided by Marvel Studios in this quote:

“Marvel Studios puts a lot of thoughts of which films to show at a Marathon like this.  Our team at the El Capitan puts a lot of effort and thoughts into insuring that the guests have an excellent experience – such as costume contests, special meals, prizes, and surprises.”

The fact that Marvel Studios was who selected the films to be viewed, means that there is an intent to provide a specific experience as a build up to Infinity War. My speculation is that Marvel Studios wants you to feel a connection to the main characters in the films they are showing so as you really empathize with the danger they will facing in Infinity War and thus make their tragedies more relevant.

And speaking of experience, what can fans expect from this event? Remember when I said the first Avengers Marathon had introductions from Agent Coulson?

“We are always planning special programming for between the films.  And although we do not have a filmed introduction for each film, we always plan for lots of surprises for our audience!”

Alas, those filmed introductions from the first marathon will not be shown, but you can see them on YouTube, or if you were fortunate enough to have purchased The Marvel Cinematic Universe Phase One Limited Edition Boxed Set.

If its anything like past Marathons I attended, I expect they will continue to have giveaways and celebrities from the films. Here is everything attendees will get according to the press release.

“Marathon tickets include Reserved Seat, Exclusive Event Credential, Event Poster commemorating 10 Years of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Popcorn in Souvenir Hexagon Tub (with one free refill), 20 oz Bottled Drink, Meal Breaks, Special Guest Appearances, Costume Contest, Raffle Prizes & Surprises!”

I expect that at least one of those meal breaks will include a meal provided by Chick-fil-A as they are one of the sponsors of the marathon.

The Nerdist was chosen to host this special event out of mutual admiration as described by the rep here:

“The Nerdist are huge fans of the Marvel films, and have always admired the El Capitan Theatre; we have always been fans of Nerdist.   And we have always wanted to work together.”

It seems that for marathons going forward The Nerdist will likely continue to function as the host. But does that mean that no one would have the ability to rent the theater to do their own event?

“(The El Capitan Theater is) on a very busy schedule all year ‘round, and even if the theatre is dark to the public, there is activity here – so the possibility of renting the theatre is quite rare.  Having said that we are always able to respond to inquiries which are taken on a case-by-case basis.”

Ah ha! There is hope that someone can rent the theater for their own event, provided the timing is right. And if you have ever seen the El Capitan Theater’s interior, you know that it is certainly worth a shot.

  

The marathon begins on Wednesday April 25^th with doors opening at 11:30am, but this will not be the first time the film will be screened. In addition to the World Premiere taking place Monday April 23^rd, there will be press screenings on April 24^th, and most importantly, a quality check. At some point all the films to be screened for a paying audience must go through a quality check. But with a high-profile film like Avengers Infinity War where both quality and secrecy is paramount, is a studio projectionist required to come out?

“(The El Capitan) take(s) pride in the quality of the projection in our building. The projectionists at The El Capitan Theatre are employees of The Walt Disney Company.  They work hard to project films to the release specifications – and they have all been staff here for a very long time.  And yes, we often run the entire film as a test for an engagement.”

I would love to have received an answer from the AMC Theaters that are also running the marathon, but alas they failed to respond to my request for interview.

More unfortunate news. If reading this article made you interested in attending the event, I am sorry the marathon is SOLD OUT! The good news is that this will not be the last time Marvel Studios will be running an event of this proportion. And it also seems like The El Capitan will continue to host these events. While it is too late to get tickets for this marathon, I highly recommend you try for the next one. These events are an experience that every true fan must have. And if Marvel isn’t your thing, don’t forget about the Star Wars Marathons. I suspect that December 2019 there will be a 9 film Marathon for the Star Wars Episodes that will be hosted by The El Capitan and other high-quality theaters.

 

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