Okay so Avengers: Doomsday just got a little more real. Disney is putting premium format tickets on sale July 20, and the film has a reported runtime of 165 minutes, which works out to two hours and 45 minutes. That makes it longer than Infinity War at 149 minutes but shorter than Endgame at 181 minutes. That feels exactly right for a movie that needs to set up the end of everything without actually ending everything yet.
If you have not been tracking the ticket situation, Disney created its own premium format called Infinity Vision specifically for this film, after Warner Bros. locked down IMAX screens for Dune Part Three, which also opens December 18. Yes, two of the biggest movies of the year are opening on the same day. It is an absolutely chaotic release calendar and honestly I respect it.
The full trailer is expected at Marvel's Hall H presentation at San Diego Comic-Con on July 25, which is right after tickets go on sale. The timing is obviously not a coincidence. Marvel will sell you a seat before you have even seen the movie in full, and honestly the audacity of that move is kind of impressive.
Here is what makes Doomsday genuinely worth the hype and not just a legacy brand cash grab. The Russo Brothers said they came back because writer Stephen McFeely came up with an idea that, in their words, "reignited" their desire to return after Endgame. Anthony Russo has described it as being back to "phase zero" of the MCU, which is a big thing to say about a franchise 39 movies deep. They are treating Doomsday and Secret Wars as one complete story told across two films, the same way they approached Infinity War and Endgame.
The cast alone is genuinely staggering. Robert Downey Jr. is back not as Tony Stark but as Victor Von Doom, and the Russos have said he is the only person who could play the role. Chris Evans returns as Steve Rogers, which no one saw coming. The Fantastic Four are here, the Fox era X-Men are here with Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, and James Marsden back in their old roles, and the core Avengers lineup is intact. Heroes from three entirely separate universes converging on one film is either going to be the most thrilling thing Marvel has ever done or a logistical nightmare on screen. Based on how tightly the Russos ran Endgame, I am betting on the former.
If you want to get ready before December, go back and watch Avengers: Endgame again. It still holds up, and knowing that Doomsday picks up the threads from that film makes the rewatch feel different. Also worth your time is The Fantastic Four: First Steps, since that cast is walking directly into this one.
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