Credit: Robert Downey Jr.Reports have confirmed that the first teaser trailer for Avengers: Doomsday will arrive in theaters later this week before Avatar: Fire and Ash. That alone should boost the box office for the third in the Avatar series, but a new report claims that Disney/Marvel has even bigger plans to help push Fire and Ash into uncharted box office territory.
According to a report from The Hollywood Reporter, Disney plans to release four different Avengers: Doomsday trailers over the course of four weeks in an attempt to further boost Avatar’s box office numbers. Based on that reporting, the first trailer will be released on December 19, when Fire and Ash opens, with the next one following on December 26, and then on January 2, with the final one scheduled for January 9.
Neither Disney nor Marvel has commented on the release of the four trailers or on just how different each one of the four will be. Previous reports have indicated that the first trailer, set to drop this week, will be one minute and 26 seconds long.
Avatar doesn’t necessarily need Marvel’s help in boosting its box office numbers, but the films are incredibly expensive to make, and Disney sees this as an opportunity to increase those numbers even higher. The first Avatar film made $2.9 billion, while Avatar: The Way of Water made $2.3 billion. However, an increased box office for the third installment will help to justify James Cameron’s desire to make episodes four and five.
Avengers: Doomsday does not release until December 18, 2026, but fans, and to a certain extent, Marvel, see this as an opportunity to reset the struggling Marvel Cinematic Universe. The film was initially set to include the villain, Kang, but after Jonathan Majors was convicted of assault and harassment of his ex-girlfriend, he was dropped from the series.
This opened the door for the return of Robert Downey Jr. to the MCU. The film also reunites Chris Hemsworth (Thor), Anthony Mackie (Captain America), Sebastian Stan (The Winter Soldier), Paul Rudd (Ant-Man), and Tom Hiddleston (Loki). There are, however, some MCU stars who have yet to confirm their appearances or are out entirely, such as Mark Ruffalo (the Hulk) and Brie Larson (Captain Marvel).
The film has also teased the return of several X-Men stars from the Fox era, including Rebecca Romijn (Mystique), Patrick Stewart (Professor X), and Ian McKellen (Magneto). This teases the convergence of the entire MCU coming together for the first time.
Marvel hopes that Avengers: Doomsday and its follow-up in 2027, Avengers: Secret Wars, will help to revitalize its box office success. For the first time since 2020, there will be no Marvel film in the top 10 for the year’s box office total. This is only the second time this has happened since 2010.
This year’s Marvel releases struggled at the box office, despite Thunderbolts* and Fantastic Four: First Steps getting good reviews and having strong opening weekends. Since Avengers: Endgame in 2019, Marvel has had only two billion-dollar hits: last year’s Deadpool & Wolverine, and Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021). For most franchises, that’s not much of a drought, but for Marvel, which has put out 15 films since Endgame, it’s devastating news.
Now, fans will have to flock to Avatar: Fire and Ash four separate times to see what’s coming to the MCU. Expect long breakdowns of those trailers starting this Friday.
What do you think of Disney releasing four separate ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ trailers before ‘Avatar: Fire and Ash?’ Let us know in the comments.