Peruvian cinema chains Cineplanet and Cinemark experienced massive platform crashes during the midnight presale for Avengers Doomsday on September 28, leading Cineplanet to announce a final ticket release date for October 2.
The intense traffic began immediately when online sales opened at 0:00 hours, overwhelming official websites and mobile apps across Peru. The digital surge left thousands of Marvel fans unable to complete their transactions during the initial midnight release window.
In response to the widespread service disruption, Cineplanet confirmed through an announcement on its social media channels that a new and final presale opportunity will open on Friday, October 2. This secondary release will be available exclusively for regular screens at its theater locations.
However, moviegoers hoping to secure tickets for the premium Infinity Vision format will not have another chance. Cineplanet reported that presales for Infinity Vision auditoriums were a complete success and that all available seats sold out during the early morning hours of September 28 following the initial midnight launch.
Online ticket queues and server access errors
The technical issues surfaced in the opening minutes of September 28, which was the scheduled start date for advance ticket purchases across Peru. As prospective buyers flooded ticketing systems at midnight, both Cineplanet and Cinemark encountered severe server instability that prevented users from logging in, viewing showtimes, or reaching payment gateways.
Disappointed buyers turned to digital platforms to share screenshots and express frustration over the ongoing system failures. On X, numerous users described waiting for hours without being able to process their purchases. One user noted on X that they had stayed awake all night, slept for only one hour, and remained unable to buy a ticket for Avengers Doomsday.
Another filmgoer reported that upon accessing the Cinemark website, the portal indicated they had to wait in a virtual queue of more than four hours. Other social media posts highlighted that Cinemark and Cineplanet had collapsed under the heavy traffic, describing the situation as total madness for the upcoming Marvel Studios release.
The operational disruption was also a major topic of discussion within digital communities in Lima, including online forums on Reddit. Users based in the capital city reported that the platforms for both Cineplanet and Cinemark failed to load even after remaining connected for over an hour.
Despite the widespread technical glitches, some buyers managed to successfully purchase their tickets through alternative methods. Members of online communities reported that they completed their purchases by accessing the cinema portals through desktop web browsers and checking out as guest users rather than using mobile applications or attempting to log into existing member accounts.
System capacity and online ticketing infrastructure
High-profile movie presales frequently push online ticketing platforms to their operational limits. Modern cinema chains utilize centralized database systems to manage reserved seating, user authentication, and third-party payment processing. When hundreds of thousands of users attempt to select seats simultaneously at midnight, web servers can experience severe bandwidth bottlenecks, session timeouts, and database locks that temporarily take portals offline.
Cineplanet is the largest cinema chain in Peru, operating modern multiplex locations in major urban centers such as Lima, Arequipa, and Trujillo. Cinemark is a major international theater chain with extensive operations across North and South America, including popular multiplex sites across Peru. Both chains serve as the primary venues for major Hollywood film premieres in the country.
Marvel Cinematic Universe and Avengers presale demand
The intense interest in tickets reflects the global reach of Marvel Studios and the Marvel Cinematic Universe, a multi-billion dollar media franchise produced by Walt Disney Studios. Centered on iconic superhero characters from Marvel Comics, the franchise has dominated global box offices for nearly two decades. The ensemble Avengers feature films represent the tentpole events of the franchise, routinely drawing record-breaking audience numbers worldwide.
Blockbuster presales for previous installments in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, such as Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, similarly overwhelmed ticketing infrastructure in multiple countries upon launch. Advance ticket sales have become a crucial metric for studio releases, helping exhibitors gauge opening weekend audience demand and optimize auditorium scheduling prior to official premiere dates.
Premium large-format presentations, such as Cineplanet's Infinity Vision format, offer specialized theater features including enlarged screens, enhanced sound design, and premium seating arrangements. Because multiplexes feature fewer large-format auditoriums compared to standard auditoriums, ticket capacity for these specialized formats is significantly lower, leading to rapid sell-outs during high-demand presale launches.
With Infinity Vision seats entirely sold out, Peruvian fans who missed the initial release are preparing for the upcoming Friday presale. Cineplanet confirmed that tickets for its regular auditoriums will go on sale on October 2, offering moviegoers a final opportunity to secure advance seats for Avengers Doomsday before its theatrical debut.
