Credit: Marvel StudiosMarvel Studios has fixed Avengers: Doomsday for December 18 – but there are signs that this release date may change.
Amid reports of reshoots completed just three months before the film’s release, certain movie theaters have started listing a different date for audiences to first see the upcoming superhero epic on the big screen.
What’s Happening With ‘Avengers: Doomsday’?
Principal photography for Avengers: Doomsday wrapped in September 2025, with The Hollywood Reporter reporting that Marvel had a “healthy” amount of additional photography planned. By June, David Harbour (Red Guardian) confirmed he was back at Pinewood Studios shooting alongside other Avengers.
The work continued deep into the summer. Joe Russo said in June that the team expected to keep working on Doomsday until November, while Winston Duke later confirmed that additional photography was still underway as the film moved through post-production (via CNA).
By late August, insider Daniel Richtman claimed cameras were still rolling and that Marvel was adding “a lot” of cameos. He later reported that new material included Scarlet Witch alongside Sue Storm, although it remained unclear whether Elizabeth Olsen herself or a stunt double filmed Wanda’s scenes.
The latest update suggests that this phase is finally over. Richtman said on September 6 that the reshoots were “officially done,” adding that Marvel had filmed one new scene in particular that “will make a lot of people happy.” What that scene contains remains under wraps – although fans may get to see it on the big screen sooner than expected.
Possible New Release Date for ‘Avengers: Doomsday’
Judging by recent reports, at least one theater is getting Avengers: Doomsday early.
A Reddit user shared a booking for a “special advance screening” at Regency Granada Hills 9 in California at 7:30 p.m. on December 16 — two days before Disney’s currently advertised December 18 release date.
December 17 screenings are much more widespread. The Disney-owned El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood starts showing Doomsday at 1 p.m. that day, while Phoenix Theatres locations list screenings from as early as 1 p.m., and Terrace Theater has showtimes beginning at 2 p.m.
For now, December 16 appears to be the outlier. GamesRadar+ found the Regency screening to be the earliest available, while the official Doomsday ticketing site reportedly begins its listings on December 17. Disney’s own movie page, meanwhile, continues to describe December 18 as the film’s release date.
A similar rollout happened with Spider-Man: Brand New Day earlier this year. While Sony set its U.S. release for July 31, the movie opened on July 29 in markets including Germany and the Philippines, followed by countries including Australia, Hong Kong, Singapore, and India on July 30.
Even U.S. audiences had ways to see it early. Amazon offered Prime members special July 29 screenings at select theaters nationwide, two days before the official wide release.
Is ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ Ready for Release?
The amount of late work has inevitably made some fans nervous. Between the unfinished script, months of additional photography, and reports that Marvel kept adding cameos, there is concern that Doomsday may be trying to juggle too many moving parts this close to release.
The Russos have pushed back on the idea that this means the film is in trouble. Joe Russo said they treat a screenplay as a “living organism,” explaining that their process is built around rehearsal, improvisation, and adjusting material once actors arrive on set.
That flexibility is arguably important in a film this crowded, but it’s also exactly what makes fans feel skeptical.
Doomsday brings together the Avengers, New Avengers, Fantastic Four, Wakandans, and Fox-era X-Men. Anthony Russo has admitted the scale is testing them, calling the MCU an experiment in “how vast” an ensemble can become.
Reaction is not entirely negative. A ComicBook.com poll found 48.9% of respondents were not concerned that filming began without a finished script. Still, the outlet noted fears that so many heroes and surprise appearances could leave the film feeling more like a spectacle than a cohesive story.
There is also much more riding on Doomsday than another successful Marvel opening weekend. Since Avengers: Endgame grossed $2.8 billion, the MCU has produced several much smaller theatrical results, including $206.1 million for The Marvels, $415 million for Captain America: Brave New World, and $382.4 million for Thunderbolts* (although its latest effort, Spider-Man: Brand New Day, has taken home an eyewatering $2.4 billion to date).
Marvel itself has acknowledged the wider problem, with Kevin Feige admitting that the studio had become “spread thin” by producing too much. Marvel has deliberately cleared its theatrical schedule between Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars so it can focus on the two-part finale.
Doomsday also emerged from a major creative reset. Marvel dropped Jonathan Majors, who was supposed to be the saga’s primary antagonist, after his assault and harassment conviction and replaced the planned Avengers: The Kang Dynasty with a Doctor Doom story, bringing Robert Downey Jr. and the Russos back as it tried to rebuild its next Avengers event.
As per the Russo brothers, Doomsday is now in the editing and scoring phase, while they are now “soft prepping” for Secret Wars (via AP News). Joe previously said work would continue until Marvel “rip[s] it out of our hands in November” (via Deadline), leaving only weeks before the December release.
Do you think Avengers: Doomsday will be as good as Avengers: Endgame?
