French Marvel Fans Empty Le Grand Rex’s ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ Midnight Screening Almost Instantly
Some movie theaters are institutions, and Paris has few more famous than Le Grand Rex. Its enormous main hall has hosted premieres and blockbuster events for generations. The ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ Le Grand Rex sell-out shows how eager French audiences are for the next big Marvel event.
The film is still months away, but anticipation is already at a fever pitch. Tickets have been on sale in various formats since the summer, and the early numbers have been huge. Now a single Paris screening has added a new chapter to the story.
According to box office analyst Luiz Fernando, MCU fans in France showed up in droves for the December 16 midnight early screening at Le Grand Rex. The pre-sales sold out in just 6 minutes. It is the kind of speed usually reserved for concert tickets.
The theater opened sales for the special fan screening at midnight on the night of Sunday, September 27 into Monday, September 28, and warned fans to set their alarms because the battle for seats would be intense. That warning turned out to be accurate. Some fans complained online about website problems as the queue hit.
MCU fans in #France showed up in droves for #AvengersDoomsday DEC 16 midnight Early Screening pre-sales at the giant #LeGrandRex, sold out in just 6 minutes.
— Luiz Fernando (@Luiz_Fernando_J) September 27, 2026
To celebrate, The iconic theatre in Paris announced 3 new DEC 16 screenings, at 4am, 9:30am & 8pm, with pre-sales kicking… pic.twitter.com/PEleeCUczW
To celebrate the response, Le Grand Rex announced 3 new screenings on December 16, at 4 a.m., 9:30 a.m., and 8 p.m. Pre-sales for those sessions open Monday at 9 a.m. The theater also added 8 more dates throughout the holiday period.
Those additional showings run on December 19, 20, 22, 24, 26, 28, and 30, all at 8 p.m. except for a 6:45 p.m. showing on Christmas Eve, plus January 1 at 8 p.m. The message to fans who missed out on midnight was clear: there are still other chances to catch the film in the Grand Large auditorium.
The main attraction is the Grand Large, a screen installed in 1988 that measures 300 square meters, stretching 81 feet wide and 37 feet tall. The film will be shown in Infinity Vision, Marvel’s format certification for theaters. Disney says the label guarantees theaters meet rigorous technical standards, and it is not a new technology.
The theater had already been building momentum. It screened ‘Avengers: Endgame’ in its Infinity Vision format ahead of the new film’s arrival. Fans clearly took notice.
For those willing to splurge, Le Grand Rex is also offering a VIP format priced at 50 euros. The ticket lets fans skip the line, access a private mezzanine level of the main hall, and enjoy a glass of champagne or another drink along with a treat. Those packages are limited to 20 people per screening.
Given how fast the midnight tickets vanished, those spots are unlikely to last long. The exclusivity is part of the appeal, and it fits the sense of occasion the theater is trying to create.
He used to be different.
— Marvel Studios (@MarvelStudios) August 15, 2026
Avengers: Doomsday arrives in theaters everywhere December 18. Get your tickets now: https://t.co/J5PUbxvAkc pic.twitter.com/OUutSMZneq
French audiences have an extra reason to be excited. ‘Avengers: Doomsday‘ opens in France on Wednesday, December 16, 2 days ahead of its December 18 release in the United States. The theater’s first screening at 12:01 a.m. means Parisians could see the film in the first minutes of its official French release.
Other chains are also gearing up. Pathé opened pre-sales on Monday, September 28, at 9 a.m. for its 4DX, ScreenX, and Dolby Cinema sessions, including a special Dolby version promising several minutes of exclusive footage. It shows how competitive the market for premium seats has become.
The French frenzy fits a wider trend. In July, the film generated $16.5 million in advance ticket sales on the first day of availability, even though tickets were only offered in premium formats at 1,000 domestic theaters. Disney later opened full advance sales about 4 months ahead of release, and one report found the film about 65% ahead of the pace set by ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’ after two days.
The film also faces a crowded weekend. It opens against ‘Dune: Part Three,’ which has the IMAX footprint to itself for 3 weeks, so premium alternatives like Infinity Vision matter. Directed by the Russo brothers, the film stars Robert Downey Jr. as Victor von Doom, leading a cast of heroes from multiple universes.
Would you brave a midnight screening of Avengers: Doomsday?
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