‘Avengers: Doomsday’ Is Already Breaking Box Office Records Mere Hours After First Trailer Release

Marvel fans wasted no time proving just how badly they wanted to lock in their seats for the studio’s next mega crossover. Within hours of tickets going live, theaters across the country were already scrambling to keep up with demand for a film still five months away from release.

That demand has translated into genuine chaos for exhibitors trying to manage inventory. Most Infinity Vision presale showings for ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ have already sold out, with ticket demand exceeding the number of available showtimes and new slots expected to be added soon to accommodate the overflow.

That sellout wave is real, but the full story behind it is more complicated than a simple demand surge. Monday’s launch only covers Infinity Vision screenings, and only select showtimes running from the Thursday, December 17 preview screenings through December 30, meaning general standard format tickets have not even been announced yet.

The actual explanation for these early sellouts has less to do with limited demand and more to do with limited supply. Warner Bros locked up IMAX exclusivity for Dune Part Three for three weeks surrounding the shared December 18 release date, which is exactly why Disney created the Infinity Vision format in the first place.

That competition for premium screens extends well beyond IMAX alone. Every other large format option, including RPX, Dolby, and 4DX houses, has become a genuine battleground between the two studios, with exhibitors now planning around two massive tentpoles opening on the exact same day rather than giving either film wall-to-wall premium coverage.

The gaps currently missing from Doomsday’s premium showtime grid are effectively being held in reserve for Dune Part Three showings, meaning theaters can add more Doomsday slots later once real demand data comes in, but the opening inventory itself was never meant to represent full premium coverage.

This entire ticketing situation traces back to a single scheduling collision. Disney created the Infinity Vision designation specifically after Warner Bros secured IMAX theaters for Dune Part Three during the three weeks following its shared December 18 premiere with Doomsday, essentially building a competing premium format brand rather than ceding the large screen conversation entirely to a rival studio’s release.

That rivalry is also spilling over into how Disney is marketing its own back catalog. The studio is using this moment to push Infinity Vision tickets for a theatrical re-release of Avengers: Endgame, retitled Avengers: Endgame Encore, arriving September 25 with a custom introduction, additional footage, and a post-credits tag that connects directly into Doomsday.

For fans who missed out on today’s initial sellout wave, the good news is that this shortage appears to be a temporary supply issue rather than a sign that demand has been fully captured. As theaters continue negotiating premium screen allocations between these two competing blockbusters, more Doomsday showtimes should steadily become available in the weeks ahead.

Given how quickly these initial showings disappeared, fans hoping to catch ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ in a premium format on opening weekend may want to keep a close eye on new showtime additions rather than waiting until closer to the December 18 release. Are you still trying to lock in your Infinity Vision tickets, or holding out for standard showtimes instead? Let us know in the comments.