The Avengers: Doomsday trailer broke the internet on its debut, earning 503 million views within the first day, according to GamesRadar.
This figure is significantly higher than the 475 million views earned by GTA 6's Trailer 2 last year, which makes it one of the highest-grossing trailers of all time. However, one has to remember that there is nuance to any competition between the two entertainment powerhouses.
View count crown belongs to Spider-Man
While the view count earned by the latest Marvel trailer is certainly spectacular, it is not the highest of all time. Spider-Man: Brand New Day earned 719 million views within the first 24 hours of its release, so both GTA 6 and Avengers: Doomsday are in second place.
GTA 6's cultural impact runs deeper than views
Comparisons between a game and a movie have to consider the different audiences that they appeal to. The viewership figures for Marvel Studios trailers are the result of the company's marketing strategy, which has been running for 17 years. It has built a hype machine that requires people to watch every trailer more than once, analyze every frame for potential lore value, and engage in increasingly heated debates with their friends on the merits of one cinematic universe over another.
GTA 6's cultural impact is the result of a carefully designed campaign that has made headlines dozens of times. From the launch trailer that broke the internet to the dozens of articles speculating on the game's price, there was no single day since 2025 that the game has not been in the news. This is the result of a well-timed marketing campaign that has maximized the game's exposure without breaking Rockstar's budget.
View count figures say less than one might think
The brief summary of the competition between Avengers: Doomsday and GTA 6's marketing campaign serves to highlight the obvious: each product's performance relative to each other is difficult to assess objectively. The figures are impressive, but they say little about the commercial success of either property. Avengers: Doomsday is the latest addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which has been a consistent blockbuster for Disney's earnings. GTA 6, on the other hand, is the long-awaited sequel to one of the highest-selling entertainment franchises of all time.
It would be unfair to suggest that either release has underwhelmed compared to the other. It is more important to remember that the competition between the two is ultimately good for business. The figures can also serve as a useful reminder that Rockstar Games is not losing much sleep over the recent Marvel trailer. If anything, the company is confident that GTA 6's long-awaited debut in November will inspire a similar cultural frenzy.