“Avengers: Infinity War” mania grips Odisha capital!

Bhubaneswar: Building up the hype worldwide, Marvel Cinematic Universe’s (MCU) magnum opus Avengers: Infinity War hit theatres today in India. MCU fans in Bhubaneswar flocked to theatres to catch the first show on the day of opening and avoid any spoliers as to the plot of the film that has brought the best of Marvel superheros, 22 to be exact, together.

INOX, Bhubaneswar was gripped with the Avengers fever as a 100 fans from Twin Cities of Bhubaneswar and Cuttack launched the #100Initiative and booked a hundred tickets on the first day to witness the first show. “This is tribute to the entire MCU from us. It has never been done before. We owe it to the makers and cast of the film to have brought these masterpieces for us to follow and enjoy. Smaller towns like ours are not unaware of the grandeur of the Marvel movies,” said Supratik Samal (24) who led this campaign. These 100 fans sported Avengers: Infinity War badges and stickers and followed the dress code of wearing white T-shirts to the screening.

Right before entering the theatre, the entire INOX complex echoed with the chants of “Yibambe” (the Wakandan war cry) by the hardcore movie buffs. Many sported Marvel-themed tees and had reached the venue almost an hour prior to the show time. “I have been waiting for this movie for almost 3 years now. The cast is insane and Marvel will, for sure, blow our minds with the plot.” said an excited Sameer Dash (22) who had come to watch the film with his friends in tow.

Be it Iron Man, Captain America, Black Widow, Dr. Strange, Hulk, Black Panther or even the deadliest Thanos, the screening had the audience applauding, whistling and gasping when the central characters made their entrances and the war scenes had the air electrified with fans cheering their lungs out at the fight sequences. “I cannot believe what I am seeing. For the first time, we have no idea where the story is going. The one-liners and punch lines are terrific. The humour and sarcasm are at their best, ” said Aashish Panda (27) during the interval, as he rushed to his seat after buying the mandatory snack of popcorns for surviving the roller coaster that the film is.

Shivani Patra (25) said that she was apprehensive of spoilers on social media as the pre-screening had already commenced in different parts of the world before India. “But the end of the movie is something that you cannot express. You would not know how to give out a spoiler even if you have a gun to your head. It is heart-breaking, but pure genius on the part of Marvel,” she added.

Bhubaneswar netizens also took to social media to share their excitement since the first ever clip from the shooting set was shared my Marvel on their official YouTube channel. Many have been doing a countdown from then to the day of premier today.

Movie theatres in Bhubaneswar such as INOX, Maharaja, Keshari and Swati are screening 3D and 2D formats of the film in English and Hindi, with Maharaja screening six 3D shows in Hindi and INOX, seven 3D shows in English respectively. Ticketing platform BookMyShow sold almost a million tickets prior to the release of this edition of Avengers with tier-II city like Bhubaneswar showing overwhelming response. First-day-first-show tickets at INOX, Bhubaneswar were sold out in under 20 minutes on the day sales opened.