Avengers: Doomsday released its first proper trailer yesterday alongside the start of advance ticket sales, and both were a huge success.
Variety reported that Doomsday generated an incredible $16.5 million in advance ticket sales after the first day of availability. That’s a massive number for a movie now less than five months from launch, but it’s even more impressive when you consider tickets were only available for premium formats in just 1,000 domestic theaters.
By way of comparison, Variety said the Doomsday first day pre-sales were twice as high as the first day pre-sales for 2024’s Deadpool & Wolverine, which included all formats and screens on sale. Deadpool & Wolverine went on to make a whopping $1.33 billion at the global box office.
Variety said it understands that showtimes on Thursday, December 17 and Friday, December 18 are already largely sold out, which suggests significant interest.
The Avengers: Doomsday trailer itself saw enormous interest, too, with 503 million trailer views in its first 24 hours. Variety reported that Doomsday is the second-biggest trailer launch ever, behind only Spider-Man: Brand New Day’s eye-watering 718.6 million. And yes, Doomsday is now officially Disney’s biggest trailer launch of all time, topping the Deadpool & Wolverine Super Bowl teaser’s 365 million views. And for extra context, GTA 6 Trailer 2 received over 475 million views across all platforms in one day.
The pressure is certainly on Marvel Studios to deliver with Avengers: Doomsday, after high-profile box office struggles punctuated by the odd breakout hit since 2019’s Endgame. The likes of The Marvels, Captain America: Brave New World, The Fantastic Four: First Steps, and Thunderbolts* have all struggled to capture the attention of cinemagoers amid suggestions that the MCU’s best days are behind it. Will Avengers: Doomsday and next year’s Avengers: Secret Wars recapture the MCU magic and set the cinematic universe up for renewed success in the years ahead?
It’s worth noting that Avengers: Doomsday won’t launch on Imax screens. That’s because Dune: Part III has snapped up the premium format exclusively for three weeks (both Avengers: Doomsday and Dune: Part III will launch on the same day later this year — December 18, henceforth known as “Dunesday” — in what promises to be the box office battle of the year). Marvel has touted what it calls Infinity Vision, which is Disney’s attempt to label other, non-Imax premium large format theaters as good enough. As Disney described it, Infinity Vision-branded screens will be those it judges to provide the “biggest, brightest, and most immersive cinematic experiences.”
“These will be theaters with the largest screens for maximum scale, laser projection for superior brightness and clarity, and premium audio formats for fully immersive sound,” Disney said. The format will roll out first with the September 25 re-release of Avengers: Endgame, before Avengers: Doomsday arrives in December.
Imax has dismissed Infinity Vision as simply an Avengers: Doomsday “marketing play” meant to distract from Dune: Part III’s simultaneous, Imax-backed launch. “From our view, we feel it’s a marketing play to try and offset the fact that they don’t have an Imax platform or brand for Avengers: Doomsday,” Imax chief financial officer Natasha Fernandes said in a call with investors, via The Hollywood Reporter.
“[Marvel fans are] among the savvy and most discerning moviegoers out there,” Fernandes continued, suggesting that audiences will be able to tell the difference. “And there’s a reason why we’re the undisputed leader in premium cinema worldwide.”
Certainly the Doomsday trailer has got fans talking. There’s speculation about the true identity of the Steve Rogers we see at the end of the trailer, and a debate about whether a character was edited out of one shot. Is it Doctor Doom? Speaking of Doom, we also have a new Avengers: Doomsday poster that teases Doctor Doom’s motivation in the story.
Avengers: Doomsday hits theaters December 18, 2026. Here’s the official synopsis:
“Universes collide and the Multiverse Saga begins its final chapter in Marvel Studios’ Avengers: Doomsday,” the movie’s newly-revealed description reads. “Beloved heroes from three distinct universes will be set on a deadly collision course and ultimately face an existential threat unlike anything they’ve ever encountered. This epic film will lay the foundation for the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.”
Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
