(Image: Marvel Studios, Warner Bros. Pictures)
Late last night, Marvel Studios launched a surprise livestream across its social media platforms, captivating a global audience with a five-and-a-half-hour event to announce the cast for the fifth "Avengers" film, "Avengers: Doomsday."
Despite the stream consisting almost entirely of a static shot of an ever-growing row of empty chairs—with Robert Downey Jr. making a surprise appearance only at the very end—viewers remained glued to their screens. Fans patiently waited for staff to bring out the next chair, each one revealing the name of a new cast member. This unique reveal strategy paid off, racking up record-breaking viewership numbers for Marvel.
(Image: Marvel Studios)
According to Deadline, the "Doomsday" livestream became Marvel's most-watched stream ever, pulling in a staggering 275 million views and generating 3.1 million social media mentions. The online buzz surrounding the event was reportedly more than five times greater than that of last year's "Deadpool & Wolverine" Super Bowl trailer, which currently holds the record for the most-viewed trailer of all time.
In other record-breaking news, the latest trailer for "Final Destination: Bloodlines," the sixth installment in the franchise, also made history. Its second trailer scored 178 million views in its first 24 hours, becoming the second most-watched horror movie trailer ever in that timeframe. It lands just behind New Line Cinema's "It," which holds the top spot with 197 million views. The massive numbers are a promising sign for "Bloodlines," all but guaranteeing a strong box office performance.