Politics

Karl Stefanovic Is Extremely Mad That ‘Avengers: Infinity War’ Is Coming Out On Anzac Day

"How on earth are our kids supposed to breathe in the significance of ANZAC Day?"

by Sam Langford  19 April 2018
stefanovic avengers ANZAC day

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We’re a week out from Anzac Day, but the drama has already kicked off: Karl Stefanovic is mad that Avengers: Infinity War is going to be released on the 25th, and he reckons you should be too.

Stefanovic went on a tirade about it on Today this morning, saying the film’s release date “smacks to me of a grubby cash grab”, and calling on cinemas to “grab your cash somewhere else, exploit another day — not on what I believe is the most important day on our nation’s calendar.”

“How on earth are our kids supposed to breathe in the significance of Anzac Day?” he asked. “The sacrifices — the great sacrifices — the impact on our nation and our families. Pretty hard to do with a $25 popcorn and choc top I thought.”

I dunno where Karl’s buying his popcorn and choc tops, but someone needs to tell that poor man they shouldn’t be costing $25.

It’s not just Karl, either — here are some other people on Today yelling over the top of each other about it:

And sure, if you want to spend the entire day of the 25th in solemn silence out of respect for the diggers, go for it. No one here is arguing against Anzac Day services. But it does seem like a weird amount of outrage to heap on a specific film’s release date, given that tonnes of films — including previous Avengers films — have come out on Anzac Day every year, probably because it’s a public holiday.

There’s also a pretty strong tradition of people heading out to the pub or the footy on Anzac Day, and doing plenty of other things that skew more towards having fun than solemn remembrance.

As more than a few people have pointed out, it’s possible to go to a dawn service and show genuine remembrance and respect for the dead, and also do something else in the afternoon. It’s also very possible to just…not go to the film that day if it doesn’t sit well with you.