‘Avengers: Doomsday’ Tracking for Record-Breaking Worldwide Opening Report Says

Marvel has faced ups and downs at the box office in recent years, but 2026 is proving to be a turning point. With a series of critically acclaimed releases and unexpected commercial successes, the studio is regaining its pre-pandemic dominance.

This resurgence reached a new peak with ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day,’ which broke box office records earlier this year and has now surpassed $2 billion globally, marking the first Spider-Man film to achieve this milestone. With such momentum, all eyes are on whether Marvel’s next major event film can achieve even greater success.

A recent report indicates that ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ is tracking for a worldwide opening exceeding $1 billion, based on presale numbers that have reportedly outpaced any previous releases at this stage.

According to industry source World of Reel, ‘Doomsday’ has already sold 92% of the total preview ticket sales that ‘The Fantastic Four: First Steps’ accumulated throughout its entire run, suggesting the film could earn over $100 million in previews alone. Based on this trajectory, the outlet projected a domestic opening weekend in the vicinity of $400 million, which would break the current record for the biggest domestic debut in history.

That record is currently held by ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day,’ which opened to $360 million domestically earlier this year, narrowly surpassing ‘Avengers: Endgame’s’ $357.1 million debut from 2019. If ‘Doomsday’ maintains its tracking, it would mark the second time in a single year that Marvel resets its own opening weekend record.

Early indicators support this excitement. Reports from earlier this summer revealed that ‘Doomsday’ achieved $16.5 million in first-day advance ticket sales, with presale figures reportedly double those of 2024’s ‘Deadpool & Wolverine,’ which went on to gross $1.3 billion worldwide as the highest-grossing R-rated film ever.

The significance of this projection is amplified by the scale of the release. ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ shares its December 18 release date with ‘Dune: Part Three,’ a pairing that fans have dubbed “Dunesday,” potentially setting the stage for one of the largest combined box office weekends in history.

For context, the three biggest combined weekends in box office history are tied to ‘Avengers: Endgame’ in 2019, which generated $402 million collectively, ‘Avengers: Infinity War’ in 2018 at $314 million, and ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ in 2015 at $313 million. Given the tracking numbers for both December releases, that record seems well within reach.

Some analysts have provided more conservative estimates, with domestic projections ranging from $230 million to $260 million and worldwide openings closer to $600 million. Even these cautious figures would still represent one of the year’s biggest debuts, highlighting the immense anticipation surrounding Marvel’s first full-scale Avengers reunion since ‘Endgame.’

Directed by Joe and Anthony Russo, ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ brings together a vast array of heroes while incorporating characters from the X-Men and Fantastic Four franchises, all centered around Robert Downey Jr.’s highly anticipated return as the villainous Doctor Doom. This reunion, along with the nostalgia of Downey Jr. returning to the MCU after years away as Iron Man, seems to be a key factor driving the surging presale numbers.

Whether the film ultimately lands closer to the more conservative projections or the staggering $1 billion opening figures currently being discussed, one thing is clear: Marvel is poised for a significant box office event as the holiday season approaches.

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