“Feeling the excitement in the theater, hearing cheers or gasps from the audience, is always a reminder of what these movies and characters mean to fans,” Feige continued. “Being there on opening night of ‘Avengers: Endgame,’ hearing the crowds, is something I’ll never forget. Also, the feedback we received after ‘Black Panther’ came out. Never in my wildest dreams did I think it would have the kind of impact it did.”
There is a reason the Marvel movies have sparked such heated debates among film fans, a reason people are interested in what legends like Martin Scorsese think of these movies. If a movie can cause the kind of thunderous cheers and reactions in theaters that something like “Avengers: Endgame” did, or like “Black Panther” did, it’s understandable to want validation, to be reaffirmed that you’re not just getting excited for a silly superhero movie, but a cultural moment. The greatest thing Marvel Studios has done is to think of the communal theater experience first and foremost, crafting (sometimes painfully obviously so) moments specifically to break into cheers. Given the monumental success of “Avengers: Endgame” and its record-shattering box office run, the approach pays off.
This also explains even a tiny bit why the MCU feels so different since “Endgame” — the theatrical experience changed since the pandemic. Whether it’s the thought that you can just wait to watch the latest Marvel movie on Disney+, or that the big break during lockdown simply made us change how we experience cinema. It’s a shame, but hopefully Feige and Marvel Studios can reclaim that spark before the next big “Avengers” movie.
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