‘Avengers: Doomsday’ Is Already a Box Office Monster Before Opening Day

Marvel may have found the spark it needed. After a few difficult years for the MCU, the studio is heading toward December with a huge amount of attention around Avengers: Doomsday. And now, the movie has reached a box office milestone before audiences have even had the chance to see it.

According to Global Box Office, Avengers: Doomsday has already made more than $40 million in domestic advance ticket sales. What makes that number even more impressive is when it happened. The movie reached the mark 100 days before its scheduled release, making it the first movie ever reported to reach $40 million in pre-sales that far ahead of its opening.

The early demand has been building for months. Tickets first became available on July 20, with premium formats going on sale in about 1,000 theaters across the United States. The response was immediate. Doomsday reportedly brought in around $16.5 million on its first day of ticket sales, which was about twice the amount Deadpool & Wolverine made during its own first day of advance sales in 2024.

That was only the beginning. Once tickets became available more widely around Disney’s D23 event, the numbers continued to climb quickly. The movie passed $35 million within a few weeks before reaching the $40 million mark. Global Box Office also reported that Doomsday was running about 65 percent ahead of Spider-Man: Brand New Day during the first two days of their respective ticket sales.

That kind of early interest is already changing expectations for the movie’s opening weekend. Industry estimates currently suggest that Avengers: Doomsday could bring in somewhere between $260 million and $300 million domestically during its first weekend. That would put it among the biggest openings ever, although it would probably still fall short of Avengers: Endgame’s huge $357.1 million debut from 2019.

There is also an interesting battle waiting for Doomsday when it finally arrives. The movie is scheduled to open on December 18, the same day as Denis Villeneuve’s Dune: Part Three. That film is also attracting plenty of attention and has already reached around $10 million in early ticket sales, according to the information in the report.

The two movies are also fighting for premium screens. Dune: Part Three has exclusive access to IMAX for its first three weeks, which means Marvel cannot rely on the format for the opening stretch of Doomsday. Instead, Disney is pushing another premium option called Infinity Vision as part of its plans for the release.

Still, the biggest reason for the excitement is probably the cast. Robert Downey Jr. is returning to the MCU, but this time he is not coming back as Tony Stark. He will play Doctor Doom, turning one of Marvel’s most recognizable heroes into one of its biggest villains. That alone has been enough to get fans talking since the announcement.

The Russo brothers are also back behind the camera. They previously directed Captain America: Civil War and Avengers: Endgame, two movies that became major moments for Marvel fans. Their return adds another layer of nostalgia and expectation to a film that is already packed with familiar names.

The reported cast is massive as well. The movie is expected to bring together the Earth-616 Avengers and Wakandans, the Fantastic Four from another universe, and the original X-Men lineup. Kevin Feige is producing, while the film is set to run for 165 minutes.

All of that helps explain why ticket buyers are jumping in so early. Marvel is selling Doomsday as much more than another superhero movie. It is shaping up as a major crossover event, and fans seem ready to show up.

Of course, advance sales can only tell part of the story. The real test will come when the movie opens and audiences decide whether it lives up to the massive expectations. For now, though, Avengers: Doomsday has already made history before its first public screening.

And with December still ahead, Marvel’s biggest question may no longer be whether people are interested. It may be just how big this opening can actually become.

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