Has the MCU ever been shy about throwing down money at the problem? They have practically set the standard for big-scale filmmaking, and the budgets of their films have steadily climbed, with each entry attempting to outdo its predecessor.
Money matters. And Marvel knows that. Avengers: Doomsday, which is set for release on May 1, 2026, is expected to push these limits even further. How does it measure up to past MCU films, though? Let’s break down the numbers and see where it stands.
How Avengers: Doomsday stacks up against other Marvel movies
Avengers: Doomsday is already burning through cash quite quickly. A few reports say its pre-production budget is three times that of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, a movie that low-key flopped, making only $476 million against a bloated $388 million budget. Not a flop technically, but it may very well be, given Marvel’s standards.
Right now, Marvel has already spent $8 million on Doomsday compared to just $2.5 million at the same stage for Quantumania (via Forbes). They’re shelling out over half a million dollars every month, and that number is only climbing.
Avengers: Doomsday is said to have a production budget of $450 million (projected). If you think that sounds like an insane amount of money, it’s because it is. But when you compare it to previous Avengers films, the fog begins to clear, and all of it starts to make much more sense. It’s Marvel; need we say more?
Here is a look at how Avengers: Doomsday will likely stack up against other Marvel films (excluding marketing costs):
| Movie | Year of release | Budget (in millions) |
|---|---|---|
| Iron Man | 2008 | $140 |
| The Incredible Hulk | 2008 | $150 |
| Iron Man 2 | 2010 | $200 |
| Thor | 2011 | $150 |
| Captain America: The First Avenger | 2011 | $140 |
| The Avengers | 2012 | $220 |
| Iron Man 3 | 2013 | $200 |
| Captain America: The Winter Soldier | 2014 | $170 |
| Guardians of the Galaxy | 2014 | $170 |
| Avengers: Age of Ultron | 2015 | $365 |
| Captain America: Civil War | 2016 | $250 |
| Doctor Strange | 2016 | $165 |
| Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 | 2017 | $200 |
| Spider-Man: Homecoming | 2017 | $175 |
| Thor: Ragnarok | 2017 | $180 |
| Black Panther | 2018 | $200 |
| Avengers: Infinity War | 2018 | $300 |
| Ant-Man and the Wasp | 2018 | $162 |
| Captain Marvel | 2019 | $175 |
| Avengers: Endgame | 2019 | $400 |
| Spider-Man: Far From Home | 2019 | $160 |
| Black Widow | 2021 | $200 |
| Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings | 2021 | $150 |
| Eternals | 2021 | $200 |
| Spider-Man: No Way Home | 2021 | $200 |
| Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness | 2022 | $200 |
| Thor: Love and Thunder | 2022 | $250 |
| Black Panther: Wakanda Forever | 2022 | $250 |
| Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania | 2023 | $200 |
| The Marvels | 2023 | $220 |
| Avengers: Doomsday (projected) | 2026 | $450+ |
Marvel has never hesitated to spend big when it comes to their tentpole films. The Avengers movies, in particular, have always commanded the highest budgets. Moreover, Doomsday and Secret Wars won’t be filmed back-to-back like Infinity War and Endgame, which together cost up to $1 billion.
This time, the total budget could hit $2 billion, making it the most expensive MCU project ever. With Marvel’s recent struggles (Quantumania, The Marvels, and Captain America: Brave New World all underperforming), however, they are definitely playing a risky game.
To justify this massive price tag, Doomsday and Secret Wars need to dominate the box office like Infinity War and Endgame, which pulled in a combined $4.8 billion ($2.8 billion from Endgame).
Why does Avengers: Doomsday cost so much?
The Avengers are assembling once again for Doomsday, and Marvel recently shared the cast list. This is probably their biggest cast roster. No doubt, it also gets audiences to fill theatres. Chris Hemsworth (Thor), Anthony Mackie (Captain America), Paul Rudd (Ant-Man), and Florence Pugh (Yelena Belova) will all be back in action.
The big surprises, however, are Vanessa Kirby, who will play Susan Storm; Pedro Pascal, who will be suiting up as Mister Fantastic; and Robert Downey Jr., who will not appear as Iron Man but as the much-anticipated Doctor Doom.
With actors like Downey Jr., Hemsworth, and Benedict Cumberbatch commanding top-tier salaries, the payroll alone eats up a massive chunk of the budget. There’s also the CGI, and it is hard to imagine that Doomsday will cheap out on that. Marvel has never, and given the scale and nature of this film, the CGI budget will likely make the burden heavier.
On-location shooting is another factor driving costs up. While many Marvel films rely heavily on studio production and green screens, Doomsday is rumored to have extensive location shoots, adding travel, accommodations, and practical set-building costs to the budget. Real-world stunts, elaborate sets, and large-scale production logistics all contribute to the final price tag.
As it happens with most, if not all, superhero films, another major expense is marketing. Although these costs are technically separate from production budgets, blockbuster films often allocate hundreds of millions to global promotional campaigns.
Avengers: Endgame reportedly had a marketing budget of around $200 million, and Doomsday is likely to follow its trail. Marvel and Disney will obviously position it as a massive cultural event and will spare no expense when it comes to advertising, merchandise, and cross-promotional deals. You’re probably gonna see it everywhere – everywhere.
Does spending more guarantee success?
Does a massive budget automatically mean Doomsday will be a hit? Not necessarily. While Endgame and Infinity War really did a number on box office records, not every high-spending MCU film has been a runaway success.
Thor: Love and Thunder had a reported budget of $250 million but only grossed $760 million worldwide – far from a flop but not quite the billion-dollar blockbuster Marvel was hoping for.
Black Panther, meanwhile, had a relatively modest $200 million budget but went on to earn an astonishing $1.34 billion. It is the overall quality of the film that counts. Audience engagement is just as important as flashy, sometimes over-the-top, CGI and reliance on big-name actors.
Having said that, Avengers: Doomsday seems like it will become another box-office Goliath. The Avengers brand name carries a weight like no other, and fans have been eagerly waiting for the next major team-up film. If Marvel delivers, the film will likely earn back its massive budget and then some. And that some (sum?) could be a lot.
This post belongs to FandomWire and first appeared on FandomWire
