Read: Our Avengers: Infinity War Review

The security is understandable. This film is essentially the ultimate superhero movie, the culmination of a decade of Marvel films. Everything in the MCU has been building up to this, and the sense of anticipation is palpable. Infinity War is unlikely to break box office records, but it will definitely be one of the best-performing movies of the year. What’s more, there are clearly unexpected plot and character arcs, designed to set up Avengers 4. Marvel have done everything they can to ensure audiences go in knowing as little as possible, all so they can be shocked and surprised when they actually see the film. So let’s take a look at the remarkable measures that have been implemented by the House of Ideas.

  • This Page: A Production So Secretive The Actors Didn’t Know What Was Going On

The Truth Behind Avengers: Infinity War’s Ridiculously Secretive Production

In the age of social media, spoilers spread like wildfire. That’s especially the case when a film’s cast includes the loose-lipped Tom Holland. Three leaks convinced the Russo brothers that they would have to go to unprecedented lengths to keep the film’s plot a secret. Precious few of the cast were actually given the full script. “They gave me my pages,” Elizabeth Olsen explained, “and then they explained other things that are happening… I’ll be so shocked and surprised. I’ll be like, ‘Oh I see, that’s what was happening to the world at that time.”

Naturally, Tom Holland wasn’t allowed to read the script. “I know who the villain is, but that’s it,” he observed in one interview. In fact, incredibly, while filming some action sequences Holland wasn’t told which characters he was supposed to be fighting. In one scene, he asked if the directors could tell him what the person he was fighting looked and sounded like; he was told no, because that would give away the secret. When Holland accidentally took a copy of his part of the script home, he posted a clip on Instagram to prove he’d burned it. “To all the producers who are probably freaking out because I forgot to hand in my script,” he observed, “here is evidence that I am destroying it.”

Only a couple of actors have admitted to reading the full scripts, namely Benedict Cumberbatch and Chris Evans. But it’s unclear whether or not they’ve actually read the right script; incredibly, the Russos actually produced fake scripts, even handing these out to the actors. According to Paul Bettany, these had “fake scenes in it, fake twists in it, fake storylines.” Sometimes the actors didn’t know the scenes were fake until they got on set, and were given the real deal. Bettany claimed that only three Hero iPads had the real script on them.

It’s actually possible Marvel shot some of these fake scenes as well, in part to confuse anyone who was taking set photos. Certainly, one professional photographer noted that he believed one day’s shooting had a simple purpose; to confuse. That claim was made towards the end of filming, leading Anthony Russo to respond that the brothers were “too tired to shoot anything that’s not going in the movie.” Of course, that doesn’t mean they hadn’t filmed fake scenes earlier on in production.

But that’s just the start. As release approached, things got even tighter.

The Release Dates And Embargos Were Tighter Than Any Marvel Film

Normally, a Marvel movie gets a staggered release worldwide. Early releases are typically in the UK, Australia, Western Europe and a bunch of other international territories. There are quite a few reasons for this; one is because many other countries have more Bank Holidays and longer school holidays than the U.S. Holidays and Bank Holidays tend to be peak cinema dates, so scheduling to hit them is a smart move financially. It’s also a way of massaging the box office figures, making a film appear even more successful than it really is early on, and helping to build a sense of hype.

The problem with this approach, though, is that it generally means spoilers are flooding the internet well before the U.S. release. For Infinity War, Marvel actually decided to abandon this strategy - albeit pretty late in the day. On March 3, Marvel announced that they were bumping the film’s release date to April 27. This worldwide premiere date would ensure the film released in every territory at roughly the same time.

Read More: Why Marvel Moved Avengers: Infinity War’s Release Date

That shift is nothing on the compressed timescale for the film. The World Premiere and press junket in Los Angeles was on Monday, April 23; the review embargo didn’t lift until the next day, just four days before theatrical release. Normally, a review embargo that’s so late in the day suggests the studio isn’t sure how critics will react to its product. In the case of Infinity War, the embargo ensured there would only be a few days for spoilers to circulate before the film hit cinemas. It was all about protecting the movie’s precious secrets. That’s Star Wars-level secrecy from a studio that usually premieres their movies weeks in advance.

Security For Press Screenings Was Next Level

The same principle was true at the press junket, where journalists weren’t allowed to screen footage or film before interviews. That’s the first time there has ever been this kind of restriction on a superhero film.

When the movie was screened, it was under heavy watch. There’s always security at a press screening, especially for Disney releases, but for Infinity War it was taken far more seriously than usual. Journalists had to go to a check-in desk to collect their tickets, which had the social and review embargoes printed on them. They then had to go through a series of checkpoints, with coats and bags checked for recording equipment. Phones, naturally, had to be handed in. If a reporter left the theater to go the bathroom, they had to re-present their tickets in order to get back in, and their coat and bags were checked again. If you left the theater without your ticket, you’d essentially be unable to return.

This wasn’t true in all case, but even screenings that had press and fans in attendance and less intense security (like the UK’s single multimedia screening), there was a heavy focus on keeping the lid on the movie, with a #ThanosDemandsYourSilenceScreen and repeated pleas to protect spoilers.

Thanos Demands Your Silence

And that’s the biggest play for Infinity War. Forget actors and studio and press, where the true level of secrecy comes is in how the fans are being handled.

The Russo brothers have spearheaded a public campaign against spoilers. They launched the #ThanosDemandsYourSilence hashtag on social media, appealing for viewers to keep the film’s secrets. It was a smart play; there seems to be a general change in culture online, with a lot of social media users actively campaigning against spoilers, so as a result, the Russos’ cause was happily embraced by the majority of fans.

Avengers: Infinity War is seen as the 10-year climax of the MCU, and audiences simply don’t want to be spoiled for that. “Don’t spoil it for others, the same way you wouldn’t want it spoiled for you,” the Russos appealed. Marvel stars did their best to give the hashtag prominence, both replying to and retweeting the Russos’ original message. Some of the responses were particularly entertaining, most notably Tom Holland’s: “This letter was originally addressed to me.”

Next: Avengers: Infinity War (Probably) Won’t Break Opening Weekend Records

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