TALK to the right people and they’ll tell you that the biggest cinematic event of all time is happening this week.

Bigger even than the infamous screening of the Lumiere brothers’ Arrival of a Train in 1896, in which audiences allegedly dived for cover.

That might be taking things too far but there’s no denying that Avengers: Infinity War is something of a big deal.

The 19th ‘episode’ in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Infinity War marks the culmination of ten years of set up and has seen a preposterously starry cast unite in front of a green screen to defend the world in spandex and CGI rendering.

Allegedly, as much as $400 million has been spent on the production, meaning that, to break even alone, the film needs to top $1 billion.

In the film, the likes of Iron Man, Thor, Black Widow, Spider-Man, Black Panther and the Guardians of the Galaxy must fight side-by-side to save the Universe from the fearsome Thanos.

For those not in the know: Thanos is a giant purple alien intent on collecting all six of the MCU’s so-called Infinity Stones. The Stones are powerful McGuffins that, when brought together in the Infinity Gauntlet, give the holder power to bend reality at their will and free entry to National Trust properties.

Little is actually known of the film’s plot, even among the cast – most of whom were only given portions of the script so as to preserve secrecy. The action takes place two years after the Avengers’ last appearance in Captain America: Civil War, in which the team of supers were divided by governmental interference. Can they put aside their differences?

Even if Avengers: Infinity War flops – it won’t – Disney and Marvel have already had a terrific year. Released in February, Black Panther has been a global success story. With a still-rising box office total of $1.3bn worldwide, the Ryan Coogler film is currently the tenth highest grossing film of all time. In the MCU, only the two Avengers films top its takings.

For those less inclined to superhero fare, there are no other major releases this week, with no studio prepared to take on the Avengers (so good luck to Thanos).

One film hoping to scoop up the disenfranchised, however, is Beast, the slow-burn feature debut of TV director Michael Pearce. Jessie Buckley leads this story about a serial killer in Jersey. It’s a chilling watch.