Avengers: Endgame was one of, if not the most anticipated movie of the decade, with many Marvel Cinematic Universe fans doing their best to avoid spoiling the experience for themselves. Despite Marvel Studios' best efforts to prevent leaks, however, a 5-minute, spoiler-filled clip was released onto the internet, revealing some of Endgame's biggest surprises over a week before its scheduled release.
In this article, we look back at the leak that almost ruined the film for fans as well as explore how film leaks happen and what the industry response has been to prevent such occurrences.
The Leaked Footage
The footage from Endgame contained massive spoilers for some of the film's most surprising moments, starting with Professor Hulk discussing time travel with Ant-Man. The scene then jumps to the reveal of "Bro Thor" before showing Rocket and Tony Stark working on the time machine. This is followed by the Time Heist, showing the Avengers at the Battle of New York as well as Captain America fighting himself. Hulk then puts on the Infinity Gauntlet before the clip jumps to the final battle, complete with Cap wielding Mjolnir, the "Portals" scene, and Captain Marvel's return. While the original leak has been removed from the internet, a Reddit user recreated the footage after the film's release.
The Reaction
With news that the leaked footage was legitimate, the fan community, as well as Marvel Studios rallied to prevent as many fans as possible from being spoiled before seeing Endgame. On the fan-run Marvel Studios subreddit, the moderators created a specific thread to discuss the leaked footage while banning users that mentioned spoilers outside of that thread. The footage was removed from social media by the studio and Endgame directors Joe and Anthony Russo released a letter urging fans not to spoil the film for one another. Thanks to the combined efforts of the studio and the fan community, the spread of the leak was limited and prevented many fans from inadvertently running into spoilers.
How Movies Get Leaked
Preventing footage leaks (or in some cases, leaks of entire movies) has always been a challenge for the entertainment industry largely due to the vast amount of people that are involved in making a movie. On-set crew and paparazzi could potentially share pictures that spoil a scene, and the post-production team gets access to top-secret footage in order to edit it and add visual effects. And long before it reaches cinemas, the film is also seen by ratings boards, marketers, distributors, reviewers, and possibly test audiences.
Information on films can also get leaked through compromised technology. In 2014, Sony Pictures was hacked by a group calling itself the Guardians of Peace that demanded that Sony cancel the release of the controversial comedy The Interview. When Sony refused to pull the film despite the threats, the group leaked vast amounts of data, including Sony's plans for the Spider-Man franchise.
Preventative Measures
In theory, Avengers: Endgame should have been a hard movie to spoil. Many tactics were used to prevent leaks, including fake script pages and limiting cast and crew's access to the real thing (Tom Holland was only given his lines and the only person to read the complete script was Robert Downey Jr.). Plus, non-Disclosure Agreements are typically signed by anyone involved in a project as a preventative measure. For the most part, this has succeeded in preventing many films from leaking in recent years, however, legal consequences have not completely stopped people from leaking footage and other spoilers.
Some studios have implemented very strict rules for cinemas to follow prior to a release. A thread on Reddit by a theater employee said Disney prevents theaters from playing their films early, including by encrypting the files with a key code and dictating whether technical screenings (to prevent issues) are allowed. Studios have also upgraded their technical security following the Sony hack to prevent similar attacks from happening.
The Future Of Leaks
The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has forced the entertainment industry to undergo many changes, including allowing some post-production teams to work from home in order to complete projects. Most footage is leaked either during post-production or marketing, and that was when work was typically conducted in a monitored, secured facility. Bringing footage home to work on has increased the risk of unauthorized leaks.
It is currently impossible to prevent leaks from ever happening, and despite the industry's best efforts, film leaks will always be a risk due to the vast number of people involved in a production. It may be even harder to control in the coming months and perhaps years, as more work is done remotely. Fortunately, if Endgame is any indication, most fans prefer to stay spoiler-free and avoid big leaks.