Avengers: Infinity War may have been the highest-grossing film of the year worldwide by a pretty solid margin, but in terms of Google searches, the Russo Brothers’ latest has fallen behind several of its superhero peers.
Google has just released a set of lists showing the most trending subjects of 2018, and in the ranking of most-searched movies, Infinity War sits at fourth place. Ahead of it in third is Sony’s surprisingly popular Venom, while Deadpool 2 just misses out on the top spot. The number one position, meanwhile, goes to Infinity War‘s MCU predecessor Black Panther. The rest of the Top 10, going from 5 to 10, is rounded out by Bohemian Rhapsody, A Star Is Born, Incredibles 2, The Nun, A Quiet Place, and Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom.
There are probably all kinds of theories you could offer on why Infinity War isn’t as high as you might have expected, from the flick’s relatively bulky name, to the fact that two out of the three titles ranking ahead of it also happen to be the names of actual characters. But perhaps what’s more significant here is Black Panther’s place at the top of the list, which is a testament to the film’s cultural impact and continued acclaim.
Indeed, as we move further into awards season and the end-of-year lists start coming in, Ryan Coogler’s feature remains an ongoing subject of conversation that’s likely to continue with next year’s Oscars – either because of the nominations it does get, or the nominations it controversially doesn’t.
In any case, as big a cultural phenomenon as Avengers: Infinity War was in its own right, Marvel fans are more focused these days on what’s to come, with Avengers: Endgame hitting theaters on April 26th, 2019. As for Black Panther, Coogler’s already confirmed to be coming back for a sequel, but patience will probably be a virtue when it comes to that particular project.
