The Avengers (film)

The Avengers is a 2009 superhero film based on the Marvel Comics superhero team of the same name. The film is the fifth film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the fifth film in Volume One. The Avengers was written and directed by Joss Whedon. The film stars Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark/Iron Man, Chris Evans as Steve Rogers/Captain America, Evangeline Lilly as Janet van Dyne/Wasp, Chris Hemsworth as Thor, Jeremy Renner as Clint Barton/Hawkeye, Scarlett Johansson as Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow, Rachel McAdams as Amora, Tom Hiddleston as Loki, Cobie Smulders as Maria Hill, and Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury.

The film was released on May 1, 2009.

Cast

 * Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark/Iron Man
 * Chris Evans as Steve Rogers/Captain America
 * Evangeline Lilly as Janet van Dyne/Wasp
 * Chris Hemsworth as Thor
 * Jeremy Renner as Clint Barton/Hawkeye
 * Scarlett Johansson as Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow
 * Rachel McAdams as Amora
 * Tom Hiddleston as Loki
 * Cobie Smulders as Maria Hill
 * Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury

Box office
The Avengers grossed $542.8 million domestically and $623.5 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $1.166 billion. The film had a domestic opening weekend of $192.6 million, debuting at number one at the box office, and out-grossing the entire domestic totals of The Wasp, Thor, and Captain America in one weekend.

Critical reception
The Avengers is often regarded by critics and fans alike as one of the best films in the franchise. On Rotten Tomatoes the film has an approval rating of 90% based on 359 reviews, with an average rating of 7.85/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Under the assured direction of Joss Whedon, The Avengers triumphantly strikes a delicate balance between technical magic and complex storytelling." On Metacritic the film has a score of 82 out of 100, based on 40 critics, indicating "universal acclaim". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale.