Avengers: Endgame Earns the MCU Its Third A+ CinemaScore

Warning: This article contains SPOILERS for Avengers: Endgame. 

Avengers: Endgame nabs the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s third A+ Cinemascore grade. Following an 21-movie build up spread in the last 11 years and the agonizing wait after the cataclysmic ending of Avengers: Infinity War last year, the culmination of The Infinity Saga is finally in theaters for fans to enjoy. It’s been breaking all kinds of box office records, recording an enormous $1.2 billion on its opening weekend alone, it’s safe to say that the public went in droves to catch the flick the earliest possible date. But despite box office performance not an accurate reflection of people’s opinion of the film, it seems like the general consensus is that the public loved the latest MCU entry.

Brought by the veteran Marvel Studios team of directors Joe and Anthony Russo and writers Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, Endgame wraps up the overarching narrative that the MCU has been treading since Jon Favreau and Robert Downey Jr.’s Iron Man from 2008. Avengers 4 picks up after the events of Infinity War, where Thanos successfully decimated half of life in the universe with the completed Infinity Gauntlet. With the fate of the universe resting on the shoulders of the remaining heroes, the original Earth’s Mightiest Heroes re-assembles for their most dangerous mission yet. They succeed in the end, but it didn’t come with any losses. Despite several tear-jerking moments, Endgame appears to have satisfied its viewers based on its official Cinemascore.

The review aggregator announced on their official Twitter account that Endgame nabbed an A+ Cinemascore, the highest accolade a film can earn. For context, Infinity War got A-. Unlike other review collating sites, Cinemascore personally gathers information from moviegoers following their screening. They’re asked to rate their viewing experience using a a standard A+ to F spectrum. This ensures that all data gathered are only from those who have seen the  movie, making it more trustworthy compared to online aggregated reviews where anyone can sign up and participate without validation that they actually watch the flick. This the third MCU film to have nabbed the highest Cinemascore accolade, the previous two being Joss Whedon’s The Avengers (2012) and Ryan Coogler’s Black Panther (2018). Overall, Avengers 4 is the 15th consecutive movie from the franchise to land either an A or A+ rating.

Prior to the release of Endgame, there were some understandable skepticism about how Marvel Studios will be able to stick the landing with the film. A lot was riding on the film, not just in terms of continuing the unfinished story of Thanos, but also wrapping up the story arcs for some of the cornerstone heroes of the franchise. While it has the luxury of being the most successful film franchise in the universe, it also meant that the expectations were higher and people are more invested in seeing how the story shakes out for both the heroes and villain of the franchise. Based on the general consensus from critics from Rotten Tomatoes with a Certified Fresh rating, Kevin Feige and crew delivered, and with the Cinemascore now out, the public seems to mirror that that.

The main takeaway from Avengers: Endgame is that it’s a satisfying way to end The Infinity Saga. There were countless fan-service moments, but not shoehorned in a way that they’re there for the sake of it. It makes sense thematically with regard to where the heroes end up after the fight against Thanos. While there are some murky aspects in its storytelling, it’s not so much highlighted because it delivered on its most important elements: sending off the original Earth’s Mightiest Heroes in their own respective paths the most respectful way possible.

Source: Cinemascore

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