Avengers destruction would cost New York $160 billion if it was real

Movie insiders The Hollywood Reporter enlisted disaster estimation experts Kinetic Analysis Corporation (KAC) to calculate exactly how much the damage in the film's final epic battle in midtown Manhattan would really cost New York City.

They came up with the number $160 billion — alien invasions don't come cheap.

Using a computer modelling system, KAC predicted the impact of nuclear weapons combined with the physical destruction in Manhattan would amount to $60-70 billion.

An extra $90 billion would be needed for economic and clean-up costs, plus the loss of thousands of lives would inflate the figure to around $160 billion. Freaky stuff.

The cost of the disaster would eclipse recent real events like the September 11 attacks ($83 billion), Hurricane Katrina ($90 billion), and Japan's 2011 tsunami ($122 billion).

And then there's the matter of insurance.

"Most insurance policies have special provisions for acts of war, civil unrest or terrorism," KAC claims. "Given the involvement of individuals considered deities in some cultures (Thor, Loki), there is even the potential to classify the event as an 'act of God,' though that designation would be subject to strenuous theological and legal debate."

Is that the sound of a huge can of worms being opened? Tell us what your theories are below.

The Avengers has broken box-office records including the highest opening weekend of all time in the US, soaring past US$200 million, and racking up more than US$775 million worldwide so far.

As if we had any doubt, Disney announced on Tuesday that The Avengers 2 is officially happening. It's likely to land in 2015, after the releases of Iron Man 3, Thor 2 and Captain America 2.