I’m getting a way bigger kick out of this than I should, but The Hollywood Reporter decided to figure out how much damage, in dollars, the climactic battle in The Avengers would’ve caused. I guess I should say that the piece gives away who the bad guys are in the movie, which I suppose would be considered a spoiler except EVERY SINGLE PERSON ON THE PLANET HAS ALREADY SEEN THE AVENGERS. Twice.
(Speaking of, quick digression: Seeing as how Jack Kirby—one of the key creators of many of the characters who are currently making a billion dollars for Marvel and Disney—kind of got screwed, maybe consider kicking a few bucks to the Hero Initiative. Okay, now back to our regularly scheduled programming.)
The latest invaders are the Chitauri, the shape-shifting aliens that descend upon Manhattan in the climactic battle in The Avengers. And with their starships and smaller, strikingly Kawasaki Jet Ski-like racers, they certainly succeed in wreaking havoc on the city. To walk out of a screening of the movie into the light of Park Avenue is a shock, with its clean streets and undented skyline, so to get a sense of just how much damage the Chitauri would have caused had the film been real life, The Hollywood Reporter reached out to Kinetic Analysis Corp., one of the leading disaster-cost prediction and assessment firms in the nation.
In an exclusive report for THR, KAC, led by Chuck Watson and Sara Jupin, employed computer models used for predicting the destruction of nuclear weapons and concluded that the physical damage of the invasion would be $60 billion-$70 billion, with economic and cleanup costs hitting $90 billion. Add on the loss of thousands of lives, and KAC puts the overall price tag at $160 billion. (Via.)
After the jump I am posting something that is totally a spoiler and is one of the best moments of Avengers, so don’t click if you are the one person who hasn’t seen the movie. I am posting it because it is currently my favorite thing to stare at for hours on end, and also because it makes me wonder if Kinetic Analysis Corp. took into account the cost of Tony Stark’s floors.
I haven’t even seen an ad for this movie… not online, and not on tv, and I watch about 4 hours a week. I recognize captain america there from the video game, but I can’t say I’ve ever heard of the “Avengers” until a week or so ago when I heard something about it having a record box office earning on its first weekend. It’s very strange I wouldn’t even see it on a taco bell cup. I’ll tell you what, though. Anyone who fights for a living should cut their hair short… that guy on the left is liable to get his pulled.
An opponent probably wouldn’t need to pull his hair when they could just grab that divine floor-length velvet cape.
I want to see the film but I’m over-quota on American films so far this year. I’ll watch one more Italian or French flick and then will head over to Cinemagic to catch it.
I SAW ON ON SCREEN PROOF THAT THE CHITAURI ARE SHAPE-SHIFTERS. I KNOW THAT THEY’RE SORT OF SUPPOSED TO BE THE SKRULL, BUT STILL, NOT ONE SHIP WAS SHAFTED.
*NO ON SCREEN PROOF, I MEAN.
Think of all the money Damage Control is going to rake in.
@Mars – I loved that series!
@1, tell that to Clay “the Carpenter” Guida!@ Geyser…you don’t tug on Supermans cape, you spit into the wind….