Experts estimate $160 billion in damages caused by the alien invasion in the movie
Were you among the millions of people who watched The Avengers this week? If so, you know that in the movie's climax, Earth's beloved (fictional) superheroes battled a force of alien invaders that emerged from a portal in the heart of New York City. The chaos resulted in more than a few smashed buildings, totaled vehicles, and civilian casualties that would've cost New York City a pretty penny if it happened in real life — $160 billion, to be exact.
The Hollywood Reporter consulted disaster-cost assessment firm Kinetic Analysis Corp. (KAC) about the extent of the damage seen in the movie. According to KAC, the physical damage caused by the invasion would cost between $60 and $70 billion, while cleanup would cost even more at around $90 billion.
The $160 billion total eclipses the cost of the September 11 terrorist attacks ($83 billion) and the overall cost of the damage caused by Hurricane Katrina ($90 billion). It's even more expensive than the cost of the 2011 Japanese tsunami ($122 billion), a disaster so severe that a Harley-Davidson lost during the storm washed up on Canadian shores a year later. But in the movie realm where end-of-the-world stories are common, $160 billion is apparently unimpressive: "Compared to the aliens in Independence Day, for example, these guys were amateurs," said KAC's Chuck Watson.
[Image credit: Marvel/IMDB]
This article was written by Mariella Moon and originally appeared on Tecca
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