Avengers: Doomsday advance bookings explode past $10.5 million in 12 hours

Marvel has barely dropped the first trailer for Avengers: Doomsday, and the excitement in the air is already palpable.

Just 12 hours after limited advance bookings went live, the upcoming superhero spectacle had reportedly raked in a staggering $10.5 million. And here’s the kicker: only around 10% of the total tickets are currently available for sale. With the film still five months away from release, Avengers: Doomsday is already sending out some very loud box-office signals.

The trailer launch on Monday also marked the beginning of the film’s theatrical rollout, with the first tickets going on sale exclusively for Infinity Vision, Disney’s new large-screen format. According to Sacnilk, the film crossed the $10 million mark in advance bookings within just 12 hours.

If that sounds like a lot for a film that is still months away, that’s because it is.

For now, the early bookings are limited to select US theatres showing the film in Infinity Vision. The format is being positioned as Disney’s answer to IMAX, arriving at a particularly interesting time for the studio.

Disney is facing stiff competition for premium large-format screens this year. Spider-Man: Brand New Day is set to go up against Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey, while Avengers: Doomsday will eventually face off against Dune: Part III.

Infinity Vision, Disney’s trademarked large-screen format, was launched earlier this year. And if the early numbers are anything to go by, audiences are already willing to pay for the full giant-screen superhero experience.

The biggest draw, of course, is Robert Downey Jr. After years of playing Tony Stark, aka Iron Man, across the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the actor is returning to the franchise in a very different role: Doctor Doom.

The film also reunites Marvel with Joe and Anthony Russo, the directors behind Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, two of the biggest blockbusters in MCU history.

The cast includes Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Pedro Pascal, Anthony Mackie, Paul Rudd and several other major Hollywood names.

That is the billion-dollar question.

Marvel has had a decidedly uneven run since Avengers: Endgame brought the Infinity Saga to a close in 2019. Some releases, including Spider-Man: No Way Home, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and Deadpool & Wolverine, became major hits. Others, such as Eternals, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, Black Widow, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Thor: Love and Thunder, Captain America: Brave New World and The Marvels, failed to generate the same level of excitement.

Now, Avengers: Doomsday is being positioned as the film that could pull the MCU back into full blockbuster mode.

With Robert Downey Jr returning, the Russo Brothers back behind the camera and early ticket sales already crossing $10 million, Marvel certainly seems determined to make a very loud comeback.

Avengers: Doomsday is scheduled to release in theatres on December 18, where it will go head-to-head with Dune: Part III.