Why Infinity War should not be released on Anzac Day
MY kids are massive Marvel fans, but we won’t be rushing to see the latest movie. Instead, we’ll spend the morning of Anzac Day talking about the real war heroes in our family, writes Paul Ritchie.
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MY kids love Marvel.
They love it the same way I loved the Star Wars and Rocky films when I was a kid.
A new Marvel movie is a big deal in our house. We book in early, we order the reclining seats in just the right spot, and we plan out every detail.
And why wouldn’t we? It’s great entertainment. The formula is right. Thor, Captain America, the Hulk and the entire crew don’t take themselves too seriously, and the movies speak of values — of friendship, courage, honesty and sticking by each other. It’s good versus evil, with special effects thrown in.
But I’m about to become Australia’s most unpopular dad in writing: my family isn’t going to the first sessions of Marvel’s upcoming movie Avengers: Infinity War this year — and neither should any other Australian family.
The reason is simple. Marvel, along with their Australian cinema partners have decided to move up the movie launch to the morning of Anzac Day. Across Australia, the movie giants have booked in hundreds of morning sessions to capitalise on the public holiday.
In fact, according to Hoyts’ Twitter account, Marvel moved the launch of the Infinity War blockbuster forward a day to “coincide with Anzac Day”. Remind me to look for the Infinity War section on my next visit to the Australian War Memorial.
By their actions, Hoyts, Event Cinemas and the other cinema chains, are saying the morning of Anzac Day is no longer sacred. To them, it’s just another public holiday.
After all, why should the kids pay homage to historical wars that cost 102,000 Australian lives when they can pay homage to Infinity War costing just $18.50 or $21.50 in a reclining seat?
Why should the kids reflect on old heroes with medals at Dawn Services and Anzac Day marches when they can cheer on super heroes with Instagram and Facebook accounts?
Most of us sense that we are losing a lot of what we had in common in our country today. Our shared identity and traditions are being fragmented and we are all the losers for that. We are becoming a lot more tribal and for a multitude of reasons we are told we should be a little less proud in this place that is our home.
By diminishing Anzac Day to a day for launching new movie blockbusters, we diminish it and the values it represents. There’s a lot to be gained from our traditions and shared stories.
My kids won’t be going to Hoyts on Anzac morning, but we’ll go to Manly Dam for the Dawn Service and have a cup of tea with the other hearty souls. Then we’ll go to McDonalds for hot cakes and I’ll remind them of my great uncles — seven brothers in all — who served in the Second World War.
I’ll tell them the story of the oldest brother seeing the youngest in Port Moresby. The youngest had just arrived and the oldest had been there many months. In the stifling PNG heat, the oldest picked up his brother’s kit bag and carried it for four hours. He then hugged his brother and said “You’re on your own now son”.
Two of those seven brothers never returned from that conflict against the Nazis and Japanese Imperialism. But they are never forgotten. I hope in our family they never will be.
On that morning, I’ll tell my kids again of their great grandfather who served at sea for over seven years and of their great uncle still alive and how he served in Vietnam.
The kids will ask questions, get a little reflective and think. And then at some point they will shift the topic to talk of other things and that’s OK. The important thing is we take time to remember.
For many Australians, the story of Anzac Day is not just the story of Australia but the story of our families.
It’s the story of real people living out their values. It’s the story of Australia’s service men and women who even today are living lives that speak of something bigger than self, and that demonstrate a tangible love of country because love of country really means love of family and of home.
It’s a few days until Anzac Day. I hope Marvel and the cinemas will revisit their decision to open their cinemas on that morning. Sure, they won’t get the opening day box-office records to boast of in international press (Australia is launching Infinity War a day ahead of the rest of the world), but in a practical way, they will be living out the values that their fictional stories speak of.
We have the afternoon of Anzac Day and the days and weeks that follow to enjoy the exploits of Thor, Captain America and the Avengers, but the morning of Anzac Day is sacred. Hoyts, Event Cinemas and the others should do the right thing and cancel their screenings.
Paul Ritchie is a former prime ministerial speechwriter and the father of two Marvel-obsessed daughters