‘Avengers: Infinity War’ Had to Bet on Success of ‘Black Panther’

In retrospect, setting the climax of Avengers: Infinity War in Wakanda after the sensation that Black Panther became seems obvious. However, the creative minds behind the third Avengers movie couldn’t have known just how successful Black Panther would be, given that the films were released less than three months apart.

On the commentary track to Avengers: Infinity War, writer Stephen McFeely and director Joe Russo discuss how early test screening audiences didn’t show the same excitement as later audiences.

“Listen, a year ahead of time, we had no idea ‘Wakanda Forever’ was going to be amazing,” McFeely said around the time Captain America’s group first arrives in Wakanda. “We tested this movie a few times, and when we got to this scene, most of the audiences, say in January and early February, went, ‘Oh this is an interesting place, I’ve never been here before.’ After mid-February, once Black Panther had come out, this scene gets a huge cheer. It just rewards you investing in these characters. I shouldn’t have been surprised, but boy, I was really pleased.”

“It was a big conversation early on. I said, ‘We’re going to set a lot of the third act in Wakanda because if you’re going to go anywhere in the world to protect a McGuffin from an evil alien, it’s going to be Wakanda,’” Russo added.

It is lucky for the other Avengers that Thor knew where to find them during the big battle with the Black Order.

Black Panther just became only the third movie in history to make more than $700 million at the domestic box office and has earned more than $1.3 billion worldwide. At this rate, the film may prove to be even more of a success than the highly-anticipated Avengers: Infinity War.

Black Panther has been setting records throughout its box office run, beginning with its $242.1 million President’s Day weekend opening, including $202 million earned Friday-Sunday. It also had the then second-best now third-best second weekend ever with $111.7 million.

Black Panther and Avengers: Infinity War are both now available is now available as a digital download and on Blu-ray and DVD..

What do you think of the connections made between Black Panther and Avengers: Infinity War? Let us know what you think in the comments!