The Avengers (film)

The Avengers is a 2012 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics team of the same name, and a sequel to Ant-Man, Iron Man 2, Thor, and Captain America. The film was written and directed by Joss Whedon. It is the seventh film of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and was released in the United States on May 4, 2012. It is also the first MCU production to be distributed by Walt Disney Studios, after Disney purchased Marvel Studios from Paramount.

The film stars Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Paul Rudd, Jennifer Connelly, Mark Ruffalo, Yvonne Strahovski, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, Karl Urban, Cobie Smulders, and Samuel L. Jackson. It received praise from critics for Whedon's direction and screenplay, the performances (particularly from Downey Jr. and Evans), cinematography, soundtrack, sound design, costume design, and production values. A sequel, Avengers: Age of Ultron was released on May 1, 2015.

Plot
In a Hydra base in Chicago, Natasha Romanoff oversees an experiment being done on the Cosmic Cube. However, S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Clint Barton/Hawkeye has been sent in to capture Romanoff. Barton and Romanoff get into a scuffle, during which it is discovered that the Cube contains a signal that was activated when the experiments began. Suddenly the base is attacked by an invading alien spacecraft, and Barton and Romanoff are forced to work together to subdue the aliens, before escaping. Barton tries to convince Romanoff to defect from Hydra and come with him, but she knocks him unconscious and escapes. At the S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters, Director Nick Fury is informed of the alien invasion and sets the Avengers into motion, recruiting Agent Steve Rogers, along with S.H.I.E.L.D. associates Hank Pym, Janet van Dyne, and Tony Stark. S.H.I.E.L.D. scientist Bruce Banner is hired as the team's biologist.

Cast

 * Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark/Iron Man
 * Chris Evans as Steve Rogers/Captain America
 * Chris Hemsworth as Thor
 * Paul Rudd as Hank Pym/Ant-Man
 * Jennifer Connelly as Janet van Dyne/Wasp
 * Mark Ruffalo as Bruce Banner/Hulk
 * Yvonne Strahovski as Amora/Enchantress
 * Scarlett Johansson as Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow
 * Jeremy Renner as Clint Barton/Hawkeye
 * Karl Urban as Skurge
 * Cobie Smulders as Maria Hill
 * Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury
 * Gwyneth Paltrow as Pepper Potts
 * Natalie Portman as Jane Foster

Box office
The Avengers earned $428.7 million in the United States and Canada and $873.5 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $1.302 billion, against a budget of $200 million. It was the highest-grossing film of 2012, the fourth-highest-grossing film of all time, and the highest-grossing comic book film of all time. The film was released on May 4, 2012. The Avengers earned $37.5 million on its first day, including $7.6 million from Thursday night previews. The film debuted earning $116.7 million, debuting at number one. Its second weekend earnings dropped by 34 percent to $76.9 million and followed by another $31.2 million the third weekend.

Critical reception
On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 85% based on 371 reviews, with an average rating of 7.9/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Thrillingly unrestrained yet solidly crafted, The Avengers tempers Whedon's best impulses with the clarity of a mature filmmaker's vision." Metacritic assigned the film a weighted average score of 83 out of 100, based on 62 critics, indicating "universal acclaim." Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave it an average grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale.