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Cosplayers dressed as Doctor Doom attend the Marvel Studios Panel at 2026 San Diego Comic-Con. Joe Scarnici/Getty Images for Disney

'Avengers: Doomsday' has already generated $50 million in ticket presales — could fans pay a premium to see it?

Brian Baker
Oct 21, 2026
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The summer blockbuster season is over, but moviegoers are still looking to gauge Avengers: Doomsday’s worthiness this holiday season.

Set to launch the same day as Dune: Part III on December 18, Marvel’s Cinematic Universe will introduce one of the comics’ most popular villains, Doctor Doom, in the film. It has already crossed the $50 million mark in pre-sales with three months to go.

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Over 70% of those sales are for Infinity Vision seats, which are what Disney classifies as premium large format auditoriums.

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Theaters have been borrowing strategies from airlines and hotels, targeting film buffs who are willing to pay more for a premium experience, according to a Wall Street Journal report.

Although it doesn’t premiere until December 18, Regal Cinemas has already released opening night tickets for Dune: Part Three at an astronomical $50 for a premium seat.

Premium seating has become a focus for the industry. Premium format theaters, such as IMAX and 4DX, accounted for 17% of ticket sales in 2025.

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Marvel is banking on the success of its five-hour livestream of the Doomsday cast announcement, which netted 275 million digital views and 3.1 million social mentions, according to Deadline.

Avengers: Doomsday will also be the first time X-Men universe characters share the screen with their fellow Marvel heroes.

Spider-Man: Brand New Day broke records for the biggest opening at the box office for a Marvel movie, earning $360 million in its first weekend. The Sony and Marvel collaboration blew Avengers: Endgame out of the sky. That film earned $357.1 million in April 2019.

Citing data from EntTelligence, the Wall Street Journal reported the national average for premium format tickets is $18, but can balloon to as much as $30 in bigger cities.

AMC has been building more of the trending odeons. The chain had 517 at the end of 2025, an increase of 30% since 2021. The WSJ also noted that AMC “adds a surcharge of up to $2 a ticket for popular films on their opening weekends.”

Tickets for some opening weekend screenings of Dune: Part Three, in IMAX 70mm, reportedly sold out within minutes. While the cost of a regular movie ticket has “risen roughly in line with inflation,” sitting at an average of $12.75 a ticket, spending on concessions and other extras has skyrocketed.

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Marcus told the WSJ that in the last 20 years, spending on concessions and merchandise has grown 220%. AMC ticket holders shell out $9 on average at the concession stand, versus $5 before the pandemic.

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When it comes to entertainment, movie ticket prices aren’t the only category that’s been climbing.

Concert tickets have also soared into the stratosphere since the pandemic, with stubs for some major artists costing thousands of dollars.

Sporting events, too, have seen elevated price increases. According to U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data, sporting events increased more than movies, theaters and concerts combined in the last 25 years.

Still, variety is the spice of life, especially for MCU fans.

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Brian Baker Editor

Brian Baker is an Editor with Moneywise. He has been a media professional for over 20 years.

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