We're Officially 6 Months Away From A $7.7 Billion Sci-Fi Movie Franchise's Return - MCE Notices | California State Portal

In just six months, a sci-fi movie that earned nearly $3 billion at the box office is getting a massive theatrical sequel. In the modern movie landscape, there are a few science fiction film franchises that are absolute financial juggernauts. The Avatar franchise, for example, has made well over $1 billion with each installment, the Star Wars movies historically have done quite well, and the Jurassic World movies are also major earners.

Only one of those massive sci-fi franchises is returning to the big screen at the end of 2026, however: the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The MCU as a whole hasn’t stopped producing movies and shows in years, but none of them have managed to live up to the highs of the Avengers franchise. Even Spider-Man: Brand New Day, the next MCU movie coming on July 31, can’t compare to the hype or earnings of the Avengers movies.

Now, the Avengers franchise is finally ready to return after a seven-year hiatus following Endgame with the upcoming movie Avengers: Doomsday. Based on the limited information Disney and Marvel have revealed, Doomsday will follow the litany of Marvel heroes battling against Doctor Doom as he threatens the entire multiverse in some way. While its plot may be unclear so far, what is clear is that Doomsday is reviving a multi-billion dollar franchise in just six months.

Avengers: Doomsday Will Bring The Avengers Franchise Back On December 18

Now, Marvel fans only have to wait six more months for Avengers: Doomsday to bring the Avengers franchise back to theaters for a new installment. As previously mentioned, Doomsday will be the first Avengers movie in seven years when it premieres on December 18. Marvel also seems to be pulling out all the stops for it. Based on the trailers for Doomsday, it seems the long-awaited sequel to Endgame will be trying to emulate the earlier movie’s massive scope and stakes.

Marvel and Disney are keeping most of the details surrounding Doomsday secret, but there are a few key pieces of information about the film that should spark intrigue. Robert Downey Jr., for example, is set to portray the iconic villain Doctor Doom in the cast of Doomsday. Doom will likely threaten the entire Marvel multiverse, and taking him down will require team-ups between every corner of Marvel, including Chris Evans as Captain America once again and actors from Fox’s X-Men movies like James Marsden and Patrick Stewart.

Those are also just the confirmed details about Doomsday so far. Thanks to Marvel’s history of secretive promotion for movies, it’s all but guaranteed that Doomsday will have some surprises in store that could increase hype even further, like appearances by characters such as Spider-Man. All of this could mean that Doomsday is going to bring back the massive earnings of the Avengers franchise along with the series itself.

Doomsday will also mark a larger return for the Avengers franchise. Marvel and Disney have already confirmed that another film, Avengers: Secret Wars is in development and scheduled to premiere almost exactly a year after Doomsday, on December 17, 2027. The Avengers franchise is back in full force for the Multiverse Saga, and the entire sci-fi genre is going to change once Doomsday hits theaters.

Doomsday Has A Very Different Challenge Than Any Other Avengers Movie

Tony Stark about to snap his fingers in Avengers: Endgame

While Avengers: Doomsday is shaping up to be a massively popular and profitable movie, it has some unique challenges to face that previous Avengers movies didn’t. Both the MCU and the film industry as a whole have changed quite a bit since 2019. The massive success Endgame was able to achieve, earning nearly $3 billion at the box office, may not be a feasible goal for Doomsday anymore.

Movie theaters still haven’t fully recovered from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, for example, which has led to a few notable decreases in box office earnings in recent years. Previous juggernauts of sci-fi blockbuster franchises have also been declining lately, with Avatar: Fire and Ash and The Mandalorian and Grogu being the lowest-earning installments in their respective franchises. Some of these wider industry changes may effect Doomsday negatively as well.

Marvel Studios Teases Avengers: Doomsday & Secret Wars’ Connection In Comparison To Infinity War/Endgame

MCU boss Kevin Feige reveals if Avengers Doomsday and Secret Wars are as connected to each other as Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame were.

The MCU itself also isn’t helping Doomsday‘s chances of being a massive earner. Phases 5 and 6 of the MCU have been extremely hit or miss. Movies like Spider-Man: No Way Home have been major successes, while others like Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantummania have been flops. The TV side of the franchise hasn’t done much better with hits like Loki and misses like The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.

That rocky few years for the MCU may have an impact on the turnout for Doomsday in theaters. Viewers simply aren’t as excited about the MCU now as they were seven years ago. The Multiverse Saga also hasn’t done a great job of setting Doomsday up as the culmination of years of storytelling the way the Infinity Saga set Endgame up. Endgame was a must-see event where the fates of dozens of beloved characters hung in the balance; only time will tell if Avengers: Doomsday turns out to be the same cultural phenomenon.