By Lisa Richwine
LAS VEGAS, April 16 (Reuters) – “Avengers” movie stars Robert Downey Jr. and Chris Evans teased the next Marvel Studios superhero adventure “Avengers: Doomsday” on Thursday, unveiling the first trailer to theater owners who expect the film to end the 2026 box-office year with a bang.
Downey Jr., who played Iron Man in earlier “Avengers” blockbusters, will appear in “Avengers: Doomsday” as the villain Doctor Doom. The movie is the first from Walt Disney-owned Marvel to unite the Avengers and the X-Men.
“Honestly, I could not have imagined reuniting with this amazing team, after such a glorious run of success and creative joy, let alone as a new character,” Downey Jr. said on stage at the CinemaCon convention of theater owners.
Evans, who portrayed Steve Rogers and his alter-ego Captain America in earlier Marvel films, said his return was unexpected.
“I said I would only come back if there was a real reason, and in ‘Doomsday,’ there is a very real reason that these heroes need Steve Rogers now,” he said.
In scenes shown to the CinemaCon crowd, Thor, played by Chris Hemsworth, is heard saying “we are going to need a miracle,” before spotting Rogers.
The CinemaCon crowd responded with rousing applause and cheers, prompting Downey Jr. to ask for the trailer to be played a second time.
Marvel movies have generated nearly $33 billion at global box offices, the highest total for any film franchise.
“Avengers: Endgame,” released in 2019, is the second-highest-grossing movie of all time.
“Avengers: Doomsday” will be released on December 18, the same day as the third installment of Warner Bros sci-fi series “Dune”, setting up a box office battle dubbed “Dunesday.”
Cinema operators said they believed both movies to be among the year’s biggest releases.
Disney also promoted the upcoming “Star Wars” film “The Mandalorian and Grogu,” which heads to theaters in May, and a live-action version of “Moana” that is due for release in July.
(Reporting by Lisa Richwine; Editing by Himani Sarkar)
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