When the Avengers assemble, the whole world watches. This seems to be an unbreakable rule that currently holds true for the next big superhero ensemble, Avengers: Doomsday. It's no secret that the Marvel Cinematic Universe had underwhelming box-office results in 2025, despite releasing two critically acclaimed films in the form of Thunderbolts* and The Fantastic Four: First Steps. Fortunately, 2026 is already shaping up to mark a resurgence for the superhero giant.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day has swung higher than any box-office projections estimated. The wall-crawler's latest adventure surpassed Avengers: Endgame by scoring the biggest domestic opening weekend in cinema history, grossing a staggering $360 million during its first days. Furthermore, the film opened to +$927 million at the worldwide box office and has since reached the $1 billion mark in its first week alone. But while all eyes are currently set on the friendly neighborhood hero, the Avengers have also been breaking records behind the scenes. Marvel's next crossover may just close the year out in the best way possible.
Avengers: Doomsday grossed $16.5 million in first-day pre-sales
As reported by Variety, Avengers: Doomsday generated $16.5 million in pre-sales after the first day of availability. These numbers represent sales for premium-format showings in just 1,000 US theaters, although the film will play in more than 4,000 venues and across a wider selection of formats on its opening weekend. Furthermore, premium-format showings for December 17 and 18 are "largely sold out."
It's worth pointing out that these pre-sales figures don't include any Imax showings, which have been home to large pre-sales numbers (as was the case with The Odyssey). Since Dune: Part III has a 3-week Imax exclusivity deal, Avengers: Doomsday will be released in Infinity Vision instead, which is a "certification for Premium Large Format (PLF) theaters" that "includes big screens, with bright images and outstanding sound."
To put into perspective how staggering these numbers are, Deadpool & Wolverine grossed between $8 and $9 million in first-day ticket sales, which is half of Avengers: Doomsday. Granted, the Merc with a Mouth's latest theatrical film was R-rated, which greatly reduced its target market (and therefore ticket sales), as kids couldn't watch it. Despite that, Deadpool & Wolverine still went ahead and grossed $1.33 billion at the worldwide box office.
It's a little tricky to say how Avengers: Doomsday fares against other Avengers movies, such as Endgame or Infinity War. Unfortunately, the official first-day pre-sales figures for those previous movies weren't publicly disclosed, although it was revealed that Endgame did surpass the previous record-holder for first-day pre-sales, Star Wars: The Force Awakens.
The success of Avengers: Doomsday will depend on two key areas: the film's critical reception prior to its release, and how much of a juggernaut Dune: Part III proves to be—as it releases on the exact same day as Marvel's blockbuster. As we get closer to Doomsday's release, early projections and estimations should paint a clear picture of the level of success Earth's Mightiest Heroes will find. However, since Spider-Man: Brand New Day nearly grossed $1 billion during its opening weekend, it stands to reason that the Avengers could match that record, at the very least.
It has been reported that Marvel held internal test screenings for Avengers: Doomsday, although no material from the reshoots was present. Despite that, Marvel's next crossover screened at the same level as Avengers: Infinity War, which is a very promising sign. If early critics and word-of-mouth marketing for Doomsday are positive, then Earth's Mightiest Heroes could certainly surpass the $2 billion mark at the worldwide box office.
Avengers: Doomsday is already off to a fantastic start, and it seems Marvel will finally be back at the top of its game in 2026 after having a mixed 2025.
Avengers: Doomsday will be released on Dec. 18, 2026.
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