By Avengers: Doomsday is already creating major box-office headlines months before its theatrical release. The upcoming Marvel Studios event film has reportedly crossed $50 million in domestic advance ticket sales, even though it is still more than three months away from hitting cinemas. At the same time, director Joe Russo has urged audiences to revisit Avengers: Endgame, calling it essential viewing for anyone who wants to fully follow the story of Doomsday.
Directed by Joe and Anthony Russo, Avengers: Doomsday is scheduled to arrive worldwide on December 18, 2026. With a huge ensemble featuring characters from different corners of the Marvel universe, the film is shaping up to be one of the biggest theatrical events of the year.
Avengers: Doomsday crosses $50 million in pre-sales
The biggest update surrounding the film is its remarkable advance booking performance.
Disney CFO Hugh Johnston revealed at the Goldman Sachs Communacopia & Technology Conference that Avengers: Doomsday had already generated more than $50 million in pre-sales. The milestone is particularly impressive because the film is still roughly three months away from release.
However, the number needs to be understood correctly. The $50 million represents advance ticket revenue, primarily from the domestic market. It should not be confused with an opening-weekend collection forecast.
Even so, reaching that figure this early demonstrates just how much anticipation has already been generated around the next Avengers movie.
Premium formats are driving early demand
One of the interesting aspects of the advance sales is the popularity of premium large-format screenings.
More than 70% of the reported pre-sales have been attributed to Disney’s Infinity Vision premium format. That means audiences are already willing to pay premium prices to experience the film on larger and more immersive screens.
The premium-format strategy becomes particularly important because Avengers: Doomsday is scheduled to arrive on the same day as Denis Villeneuve’s Dune: Part Three.
While Dune: Part Three has a major IMAX presence, Doomsday is expected to have access to other premium large-format screens, creating a major holiday-season battle for premium theatrical audiences.
Why is Doomsday creating so much hype?
There is a simple reason: Avengers: Doomsday is not being positioned as an ordinary superhero sequel.
The film brings together characters and franchises from across the Marvel universe, creating a crossover on a scale that recalls the event-film nature of Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame.
The cast includes Robert Downey Jr. as Doctor Doom, alongside performers including Chris Hemsworth, Chris Evans, Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Anthony Mackie, Florence Pugh, Sebastian Stan and several returning X-Men actors.
The presence of Robert Downey Jr. is particularly significant. After portraying Tony Stark/Iron Man for years, his return to the MCU in the role of Victor von Doom has become one of the central talking points surrounding the movie.
Joe Russo says Endgame is required viewing
While the advance sales are generating headlines, Joe Russo has given Marvel fans another reason to revisit the past.
Russo, who is directing Avengers: Doomsday with his brother Anthony Russo, has described Avengers: Endgame as “required viewing” for audiences who want to follow the story of the upcoming film.
His comments make sense considering the enormous number of characters and storylines involved in Doomsday.
Endgame was the culmination of the original Infinity Saga and fundamentally changed the status quo of the MCU. The consequences of that movie continue to influence the characters, teams and multiverse storylines that Marvel has developed since then.
For casual viewers, therefore, Doomsday may not feel like a completely standalone superhero movie.
Endgame is returning to theatres
Marvel is taking the connection even further by bringing Avengers: Endgame back to cinemas.
The special Endgame Encore release is scheduled for September 25, 2026. It will include additional material, including new footage connected to Avengers: Doomsday.
Joe Russo has explained that watching the movie again in theatres is not only about nostalgia. According to his comments, the theatrical experience gives longtime fans an opportunity to relive the emotions of Endgame, while the additional material also helps prepare audiences for what comes next.
That makes the re-release an important part of Marvel’s promotional strategy for Doomsday.
Marvel has more homework for fans
The connection to Endgame is only part of the preparation Marvel has been encouraging.
Marvel and Disney+ have also released a Countdown to Doomsday viewing guide featuring selected films and series designed to help audiences understand the characters and storylines leading into the new Avengers film. The recommended material reportedly amounts to around 42 hours of viewing.
The list includes major MCU projects such as Captain America: The First Avenger, The Avengers, Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers: Endgame, both seasons of Loki, Spider-Man: No Way Home, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Deadpool & Wolverine, Thunderbolts and The Fantastic Four: First Steps.
Interestingly, the preparation list also includes the original X-Men and X2: X-Men United, reflecting the importance of the returning legacy X-Men characters.
The multiverse makes Endgame even more important
The MCU has become considerably more complicated since Endgame.
Marvel’s current storytelling involves alternate realities, timelines, legacy characters and heroes from different franchises. Doomsday appears to bring many of those elements together.
That is why Endgame remains an important reference point.
The 2019 film established the enormous consequences of time travel, introduced major changes to the Avengers and closed the chapter on several original characters. Understanding that history could make the events of Doomsday more meaningful for longtime fans.
December 18 could become a massive box-office event
With more than $50 million already generated through domestic advance sales, expectations around Avengers: Doomsday are rising rapidly.
The film still has months of marketing ahead, meaning the current pre-sales figure could increase significantly before December 18. Industry observers are already comparing its early ticket-selling pace with other major event movies.
But the real challenge will come when the film finally reaches theatres.
The movie has to satisfy both hardcore MCU fans and general audiences who may not have followed every Marvel project released over the past several years.
The final word
Avengers: Doomsday is proving that the Avengers brand still has extraordinary theatrical power.
Crossing $50 million in domestic advance ticket sales more than three months before release is an impressive early milestone, while the heavy demand for premium screenings shows that audiences are already treating the film as a major theatrical event.
Joe Russo’s comments about Avengers: Endgame being essential viewing add another layer to the anticipation. With Endgame Encore returning to cinemas with additional material, Marvel is effectively turning the months before Doomsday into one long buildup.
The biggest question now is whether the finished film can deliver the same emotional and cultural impact as the previous Avengers saga.
If the early ticket sales are any indication, audiences are already preparing for another Marvel-scale phenomenon.
