Kevin Feige Said He’s ‘Not Pleased’ by ‘Avengers: Endgame’ Leak, Then Entire Film Leaks Online
Zack Sharf
Select scenes from “Avengers: Endgame” leaked online earlier this month, bringing with it articles across the internet spoiling some of the secrets to the latest Marvel Cinematic Universe blockbuster. Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige weighed in on the leaks while speaking to the Associated Press on the “Avengers: Endgame” world premiere red carpet. Although the executive was discouraged by the leak, he championed Marvel fans for rallying together to ignore spoilers and not spread them.
“I wasn’t pleased. It’s not cool. It’s not fun,” Feige said. “But the response was what I expected, which was everybody turning it off, dismissing it, ‘Don’t watch it, don’t spoil it for anybody else.’”
Soon after the April 16 leak, “Endgame” directors Joe and Anthony Russo published an open letter on social media urging fans not to spoil the movie after they see it. The hashtag #DontSpoilTheEndgame went viral on social media as the brothers wrote, “Because so many of you have invested your time, your hearts, and your souls into these stories, we’re once again asking for your help. When you see ‘Endgame’ in the coming weeks, please don’t spoil it for others, the same way you wouldn’t want it spoiled for you. Remember, Thanos still demands your silence.”
Unfortunately for Feige, the entirety of “Endgame” ended up leaking online just a couple days after his comments about the first leak. “Endgame” has opened in China (where it’s on track to smash the opening day record with $100 million), and Variety reports a copy of “Endgame” recorded in a Chinese theater has surfaced online and on popular English-language torrent websites. The film became available on piracy networks sometime between 4pm and 5pm China Standard Time on April 24.
“Avengers: Endgame” is opening in U.S. theaters nationwide April 26. The movie is expected to give record-setting $257 million opening weekend for “Infinity War” a run for its money, with some box office pundits saying the film could surpass the $300 million mark in its first three days of release. With the movie opening in both the U.S. and China, “Endgame” is expected to post the top worldwide debut of all time and could soar past $800 million.
