The highly anticipated midnight showing of Marvel's newest superhero flick packed theaters across America to capacity Thursday night with fans donning star-emblazoned shields and flowing capes.
'The Avengers' grossed a staggering quarter of a billion dollars internationally before it hit local theaters, with some projections estimating worldwide earnings of nearly $600 million by the end of the weekend. In the U.S. alone, the film garnered over $20 million in opening night ticket sales, earning a position among the top five biggest opening movies of all time.
Several theaters opened five or more screenings to fit all the eager fans, whose lines snaked the perimeters of the buildings. The excitement raged online as well. Twitter and Facebook were alive with talk of 'The Avengers' premiere, with the movie trending both nationally and locally.
The midnight premiere crowd is a particularly passionate and excitable group. As is customary, many fans attended the movie in full garb of their favorite characters. Some painted their skin green while others wore helmets and carried large hammers.
Josh Gurr, a BYU student from Germany, is a frequent attender of midnight premieres.
'It's a process,' Gurr said. 'It's a four-hour wait for an epic movie. You don't go for a useless movie ... but is totally worth it.'
In one local theater in northern Provo, cheers erupted when the lights dimmed and someone near the front began a shouting countdown that filled the theater. Gasps sounded following the stunning action sequences delivered by the superheros.
Jonathan Webb, a junior studying biophysics sported a Captain America costume. He said he thinks there are perks to midnight showing attendance.
'The cheering, the laughing, the clapping ... that's what really made it for me,' Webb said. 'Like literally, how do you make a movie more epic than that? Best movie ever.'