A record already? Avengers: Doomsday pulls it off 100 days early
Avengers: Doomsday has pulled off an unprecedented domestic pre-sales milestone — and it won’t hit cinemas for another 100 days.
Right, so we all know Marvel’s been flogging that Infinity Saga horse for longer than most superheroes survive a reboot, but Avengers: Doomsday has already managed to carve out a bit of film history for itself — and it’s not even out until December. Somehow, it’s done something that’s literally never happened before, MCU or otherwise.
Avengers: Doomsday has crossed $40M in domestic pre-sales 100 days before its release.
If you fancy a headline-grabber, there you are. 100 days out, over $40 million worth of tickets have already been snapped up in the States. Not bad for something no one’s actually seen yet, and the first time it’s ever happened with that much time to spare. So what’s fuelling all the early hype — or does everyone just miss Iron Man that much?
New faces, new headaches
The build-up to Avengers: Doomsday has been properly messy, even by Marvel’s standards. Yes, anticipation is at fever pitch — fans practically biting chunks out of the internet for every scrap of info — but the rough path this one’s taken hasn’t exactly been subtle. Case in point: reports got out that production kicked off before there was even a finished script. Not exactly confidence-inspiring, but let’s be honest, that’s barely slowed the hype train.
It’s not all nostalgia, either. This is the Phase Six tentpole we’ve been hearing about, and it’s actually promising one thing the last MCU entries haven’t pulled off yet: a proper, full-on crossover. That means X-Men, Fantastic Four, and the so-called New Avengers all crashing the same party, plus Robert Downey Jr. — just, not as Tony Stark for once, but as Victor von Doom. Yes, really. If you thought the cast list was dense before, wait until you see fan arguments over who belongs at the front of the poster.
- First MCU film to unite X-Men, Fantastic Four, and New Avengers in one film
- Robert Downey Jr. returns, but now in the role of Victor von Doom
- Started shooting without a finished script, apparently
- Follows on from Avengers Endgame: Encore, which was reconfigured to link up with Doomsday
- Thunderbolts got good reviews and internet love, but didn’t bring in the cash Marvel had hoped for
Unfinished business, unfinished scripts
Here’s where things go a bit sideways. For a lot of main characters, especially after Endgame, things have been — let’s say, inconsistent. Some have slowly faded away, others have been shoved into projects that never clicked. The likes of the Thunderbolts got their fair share of critical buzz, but if you’re Disney (or their accountants) that means nothing if the box office won’t play along. And that’s what really matters with Doomsday: does all this pre-sale mania actually mean the film will be a success, or are fans going to check out when word gets around about what the finished product’s really like?
The verdict’s out. We’ll see if people still care after opening night, or whether this record-setting pre-sale run just ends up another bit of film trivia further down the line.
Avengers: Doomsday opens in cinemas on December 18, 2026.