every MCU movie was destined to $1 billion at the worldwide box office or at least get close to that impressive feat. I feel like the end of the Infinity Saga especially made us believe that the franchise would always be at the top of the box office.

However, the Avengers: Doomsday's story, which unites Fox's original X-Men, Robert Downey Jr.'s Doctor Doom, and several MCU heroes, has incredible box office potential. After a surprising MCU move, I feel like Avengers: Doomsday's $2 billion chances have grown.

Marvel Studios Has Delayed Avengers: Doomsday & Secret Wars

The MCU's Movie Slate Shifts In A Major Way

One of the biggest Multiverse Saga criticisms is due to how the franchise has felt largely aimless, which I think hinges a lot on the fact that there have been no formal Avengers movies — Thunderbolts* is more or less one — in Phases 4 and 5. Avengers: Doomsday will change that, but sadly, it will take a little longer to come to theaters. That is because Marvel Studios has delayed Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars.

The two Avengers movies were originally meant to release on May 1, 2026, and May 7, 2027, respectively, with Avengers: Doomsday now arriving in theaters on December 18, 2026, while Avengers: Secret Wars comes out a year later, releasing on December 17, 2027. Since the MCU's Avengers movies have always been released in late April/early May, the shift will take some time to get used to. However, I think it could help Avengers: Doomsday at the box office, keeping the franchise's positive trend.

The MCU’s Avengers Movies Have Been The Only Ones To The $2 Billion Mark

The Avengers Franchise Has Helped Marvel Studios Cement The MCU's Grip On The Box Office

There is no denying that the Avengers franchise is the MCU's most successful. 2012's The Avengers completely changed the game not only for live-action superhero adaptations but for all movies. It confirmed that the MCU's plans for a shared universe could work and that they would be immensely profitable. According to Box Office Mojo, The Avengers' worldwide box office total stands at 1.52 billion. It's true that Avengers: Age of Ultron's $1.4 billion box office was slightly inferior to its predecessor's.

However, the MCU would end the Infinity Saga strong when it came to the Avengers franchise, even releasing a film, Avengers: Endgame, that would become the highest-grossing movie of all time until James Cameron's Avatar was re-released. 2018's Avengers: Infinity War saw a massive $2 billion box office, doing just enough to that impressive mark. Then came Avengers: Endgame, suring every expectation to gross $2.8 billion. No other MCU movies have ed the $2 billion mark, but one came close, and it helps Avengers: Doomsday.

Spider-Man: No Way Home’s Success Is Encouraging For The Avengers Movies' Box Office Hopes

The Spider-Man Trilogy Finale And The Avengers Movies Share An Important Connection

While Avengers: Infinity War & Endgame are the only MCU movies to have ed the $2 billion mark, Tom Holland's Spider-Man: No Way Home came close to repeating that feat. The MCU's third Spider-Man movie grossed $1.92 billion. Sure, the film's box office was helped by the inclusion of Andrew Garfield and Tobey Maguire's Spider-Men, as well as returning villains from their movies. However, Spider-Man: No Way Home managed to nearly cross the $2 billion mark while theaters still recovered from the pandemic, doing so without being released in China, which is an incredibly powerful market.

Had the Spider-Man movie been released in China, it would have easily ed the $2 billion mark and the total gross of Avengers: Infinity War. Interestingly, Spider-Man: No Way Home was released on December 17, 2021. Given how that release window worked so well for the Spider-Man franchise and how the Avengers movies tend to be the best performers in the MCU, I'm convinced that Avengers: Doomsday could very well $2 billion despite the MCU's recent divisive releases and Avengers: Secret Wars could even have a shot at getting close to Avengers: Endgame's box office.

All Announced MCU Movies

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  Thunderbolts*

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  The Fantastic Four: First Steps

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  Avengers: Doomsday

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  Spider-Man: Brand New Day

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  Avengers: Secret Wars

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