As a sign of appreciation for U.S. troops deployed overseas, Disney brought
Avengers: Endgame to those stationed in Afghanistan.
Marvel's latest blockbuster was easily the most anticipated movie of the year, smashing pre-sale records and rapidly approaching $2 billion worldwide. But as Disney fan Kat Lancaster pointed out in a tweet last week, not everyone was so easily able to see the highly anticipated sequel. Her husband, Air Force Major Joshua-Lee Lancaster, is currently deployed overseas.
Lancaster
sent a tweet to Disney Chairman and CEO Bob Iger asking if there was a chance he could bring
Avengers: Endgame to some of the U.S. military bases across the globe. At the time, Iger responded with a simple "Will check!" but it looks like the House of Mouse has delivered.
Announced on The Walt Disney Company website, Disney surprised U.S. troops overseas with special screenings of
Avengers: Endgame. The film was shown at Bagram Air Field on Wednesday, May 1, and Thursday, May 2, with additional showings planned for Kandahar this weekend.
“We’re thrilled to be able to do something special for our troops in Afghanistan, to boost morale and show our gratitude for their service,” Iger said in a statement.
“I’m grateful to Kat Lancaster for the great suggestion, and to the Army & Air Force Exchange Service for helping us make this happen.”
Disney went through some great lengths to make the showing happen, sending the film to Bagram "under the highest security." Apparently, the disk contianing the film could only be unlocked with a sepcial code that was protected by Army & Air Force Exchange Service employees and Disney’s senior vice president of North American theatrical distribution, Ken Caldwell.
Avengers: Endgame recently
surpassed $500 million at the domestic box office and is rapidly approaching $2 billion worldwide mark. This isn't the first time Disney has thanked U.S. troops with special screenings, as the company has previously partnered with Army & Air Force Exchange Service to bring other Marvel and
Star Wars films to bases across the world.
"This is one of the many ways that The Walt Disney Company supports our troops—both while they are serving and after they have transitioned out of the armed forces—and is part of a commitment to military families and veterans that includes the Heroes Work Here program, which has led to the hiring of more than 10,000 veterans since the 2012 launch of this companywide initiative," the company said.