PREMIERE: The Endgame experience in Dar es Salaam

The final chapter in the Avengers franchise – Endgame, was received with a bang globally, receiving critical acclaim along the way. It premiered in Los Angeles on April 22, 2019, and was theatrically released globally four days later. In Tanzania, the maiden premiere event was held at Century cinemax, Mlimani City branch on April 26. courtesy of DSTV.

The marketing campaigns leading up to the movie said it all. From the start, Endgame was expected to be the biggest of all Avengers’ earlier releases – the culmination of 21 films, dozens of beloved character arcs, and countless hours of creative legwork from the Marvel Team.

True to its marketing hype, Endgame has everything a movie fanatic can ever dream of in a blockbuster. From action-packed scenes, right up to the emotional tidbits that were provided in constant supplies, Endgame is by far the best movie of 2019 – if the record-breaking numbers are anything to go by.

When Avengers Infinity War released in 2018 ended, everyone was caught off-guard by its enthralling conclusion, the cliffhanger was just overwhelmingly brilliant. Some couldn’t help it but shed a tear or two when almost every character withered away right after Thanos, the all-too-confident villain snapped his fingers. From Nick Fury, Black Panther, Buky Barnes, and the saddest of all - Spider-man, one by one the superheroes were put to an end in what Thanos planned would be the extinction of half of the world’s population – this cliffhanger was unlike any other.

The surprising ending had everyone on the edge of their seats. No one knew what fate had in store for all the characters that had ‘died’, exposing their fleeting state. But not all hope was lost, the first of the Avengers – Captain America, was one of a handful of superheroes who survived the extinction. By his side were Thor, Black Widow, Hulk and Iron Man. With the help of remaining allies, the Avengers assembled once more in order to undo Thanos’ actions and restore order to the universe. Clearly the battle was over, but the war was just beginning.

Fast forward to 2019 and we are presented with another Marvel classic. The post-credit scenes are a norm for most superhero films. Infinity War, the scene only brought more suspense than hope for the fallen superheroes. Safe to say that no one knew what was to unravel in the next Avengers – probably one of the perks of the movie.

After the official Endgame trailer was released, tensions were high. We were about to witness perhaps the best movie battle in history. Endgame would prove to be the perfect end-note to what has been an adventurous journey in the Marvel universe, one that dates back over 5 years ago.

The global premiere was set for Friday 26 April. In Tanzania and the rest of the world, people were ecstatic as they waited for this blockbuster. On the premiere day, Mlimani City was akin to Kariakoo market – owing to the multitude of people who’d come to watch the Endgame. The turnout was indicative of the high anticipation that had reached boiling point.

Time came and the doors to the cinemas opened, guests flooded in and soon we were absorbed in the Marvel Universe where Thanos is the enemy and we’re all allies to the Avengers – save for a few who are somehow attracted to the dark side.

The movie was worth every minute of the 3 hours it ran. From the get-go, the script, carefully crafted captured every emotion ever known to man. It was a final chapter befitting of its status.

Spoiler alert

Weeks before the movie was officially released, Marvel launched a massive media campaign urging those who’ve watched the movie not to spoil it for others. With the hashtag #DontSpoilTheEndgame, the move proved effective as only a few killjoys reared their ugly heads.

For two straight weeks some of Dar’s most famous cinemas remained booked to full capacity as everyone scrambled for a chance to watch the movie while it’s still the talk of town.

Email: [email protected]