CASE STUDY 002 · ETERNALS (2021)
Eternals #1
CGC 9.8 NM/M · Universal · Marvel Comics, 1976
A cosmic debut.
An earthly return in prices.
An actual-sales timeline of Eternals #1, from the early development news through the film’s release and the years that followed.
01 / THE FIRST-FILM CYCLE
The climb began early. The decline began before release.
539 recorded sales. Six media milestones. Follow the prices before, during, and after the film.
Dots retain actual sale dates. Monthly medians are positioned at mid-month; gaps indicate months without sales. Connecting lines do not estimate daily prices. Scroll the chart horizontally on smaller screens.
Oct 2017–Mar 2018 median13 sales
November 2021 median15 sales
Oct–Dec 2022 median6 sales · expanded follow-up window
22 sales through capture date-84.2% vs. release-month median
THE EARLY READ
News preceded the climb.
Trailers did not restart it.
Around the April 23, 2018 development report, the 30-day median increased from $406.50 (6 sales) to $745.50 (10 sales). Earlier rumors mean this date is not a clean starting gun.
The May 2021 teaser windows were already above $3,000. The final-trailer comparison was −11.7%, and the theatrical-release comparison was −33.6%. Prices were softening before opening weekend.
The Oct–Dec 2022 median was 62.9% below release month, but still +138.9% above the pre-development baseline. By partial 2026, the median was only +1.9% above that baseline.
02 / CATALYST BY CATALYST
What changed around each event?
Median prices in the 30 days before and after each date. Event-day sales are excluded. Premiere and theatrical-release windows overlap.
| Media milestone | Before | After | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
1 Development confirmed (reported) ↗Apr 23, 2018 | $406.506 sales | $745.5010 sales | +83.4% |
2 Comic-Con slate and cast announcement ↗Jul 20, 2019 | $1,12515 sales | $1,40021 sales | +24.4% |
3 Official teaser trailer ↗May 24, 2021 | $3,2005 sales | $3,3258 sales | +3.9% |
4 Final trailer ↗Aug 19, 2021 | $2,8304 sales | $2,5009 sales | -11.7% |
5 Los Angeles premiere ↗Oct 18, 2021 | $2,50014 sales | $2,05017 sales | -18.0% |
6 U.S. theatrical release ↗Nov 5, 2021 | $2,35023 sales | $1,56011 sales | -33.6% |
Several windows contain fewer than ten sales and are sensitive to individual transactions. Changes are descriptive comparisons, not isolated media effects or statistically tested estimates.
03 / THE LONG VIEW
Back near the pre-film price range.
All 788 lifetime sale rows were captured. This overview uses GPA’s 25 annual average summaries; 2026 is a partial year. The 2017–2023 study window is shaded.
The annual average was $2,329 in 2021 and $298 in partial 2026. Annual averages and the monthly or pooled medians above measure different things and should not be compared as if they were identical.
RESEARCH NOTES
Traceable data.
Defined comparisons.
Static charts generated from recorded prices. No simulated sales or invented price points.
Sales & coverage
Source: GPAnalysis ↗. All 788 standard Universal 9.8 sale rows from 2002 through the September 15, 2026 capture were recorded. Every annual count reconciles to GPA’s volume. The detailed film-cycle chart contains 539 sales from 2017–2023. Separately listed variants and special categories are excluded. A transaction count is not a count of unique physical copies.
Calculations & small samples
The baseline pools October 2017–March 2018, the six full months before the April development report. Release month is November 2021. November 2022 has just one recorded sale ($670), so the one-year follow-up is explicitly expanded to October–December 2022 (6 sales, $685.50 median). This differs from the single-month follow-up in our New Mutants #98 study.
Event windows cover the preceding 30 days and following 30 days, excluding the event date. Months without sales have no median; chart lines break across those gaps. The lifetime overview reproduces GPA’s rounded annual averages. Prices retain GPA’s displayed dollar amounts; fees and currency normalization have not been independently audited. Prices are nominal and not inflation-adjusted. No causal or market-adjusted return is estimated.
Historical event sources
- TheWrap: Development confirmed (reported)Apr 23, 2018 · Publication date of Kevin Feige’s development comments; earlier rumors circulated. This is not a dated production greenlight.
- UPI: Comic-Con slate and cast announcementJul 20, 2019 · Marvel announces the cast and an initial November 2020 release plan.
- Marvel Entertainment: Official teaser trailerMay 24, 2021 · Official public teaser upload.
- Marvel Entertainment: Final trailerAug 19, 2021 · Official final trailer upload.
- Reuters: Los Angeles premiereOct 18, 2021 · Premiere date documented by contemporaneous Reuters photography.
- Marvel: U.S. theatrical releaseNov 5, 2021 · Actual theatrical release, distinct from the earlier announced release plan.
Certified Comic Shop Research · Sales data attributed to GPAnalysis. Analysis reflects the capture date above.