Despite fears of a major film slate shake-up, Avengers: Doomsday appears to be holding firm against Dune: Part Three. The film is currently slated to hit theaters on December 18, the exact same day as Denis Villeneuve's third Dune film, setting up a clash of the titans between Disney and Warner Bros. For now, Avengers: Doomsday, despite some concerns that quickly arose after the release of Dune 3's first trailer.
Dune: Part Three wasted no time igniting conversation after its first trailer dropped on Tuesday, March 17, reaffirming to audiences that it will go head-to-head with Avengers: Doomsday on December 18.
The marketing push sparked a wave of online debate, with many fans questioning whether Disney and Marvel Studios would blink under the pressure, especially given that Warner Bros. has three weeks of IMAX exclusivity for Dune 3.
According to a new report from Variety, however, Doomsday will not move, despite the clear disadvantage in premium formats and the unusually direct competition between two male-skewing blockbuster franchises.
That stance was further reinforced during the Disney annual shareholders meeting on Wednesday, March 18, where the studio reiterated that Doomsday will hold its December release date.
The decision comes after a bit of a scare online, where fans who watched the Dune: Part Three trailer, which introduced Robert Pattinson's new mysterious villain, were convinced that Doomsday needed to move. The fear is that both films will suffer, meaning neither will reach its full box-office potential, especially on opening weekend.
Now, the more likely scenario is that both studios lean into the "Dunesday" spectacle of the clash itself, which Robert Downey Jr. has already teased.
While comparisons to the "Barbenheimer" phenomenon are inevitable, the dynamics are notably different; Barbie and Oppenheimer thrived on counter-programming, drawing in entirely different audiences. In contrast, Doomsday and Dune: Part Three share a significant portion of their core demographic, meaning the overlap is far greater.
The reality is that most fans were already set on seeing both, while for Barbenheimer, plenty of people ended up watching Barbie or Oppenheimer, who hadn't originally planned to, thanks entirely to the viral moment.
Even so, that hasn't stopped the industry from bracing for a rare, high-stakes box office showdown, one where neither side appears willing to give up ground.
Will 'Dunesday' Be a Success or Failure?
There are a few things to keep in mind about Avengers: Doomsday and Dune: Part Three, squaring up on December 18. The "Dunesday" clash is almost certainly going to impact the box office, but it could also create one of the biggest collective opening weekends in recent memory.
For Marvel Studios, Avengers films are their bread and butter, averaging a staggering $1.9 billion per movie. However, a different landscape now, with some superhero fatigue and less overall Marvel mania than seven years ago when Endgame dominated theaters.
Even so, while Doomsday may end up being the lowest-grossing Avengers film ever, it's still almost guaranteed to cross $1 billion worldwide.
For Dune: Part Three, expectations are high following the $715 million global haul of Dune: Part Two, but its path to $1 billion is far less certain. The ideal outcome?
Waves of fans double-dipping across December 18-20, creating a truly memorable weekend at the box office. On the flip side, there's a risk that Doomsday underperforms relative to Marvel's sky-high benchmarks. Endgame opened to a jaw-dropping $357.1 million domestically, a figure Doomsday is certainly going to fall short of.
Even so, Doomsday is still expected to be the highest-grossing film of 2026, and the clash with Dune: Part Three is unlikely to change that.
There's arguably more reason for Dune 3 to have moved its release to avoid direct competition, but Warner Bros. seems committed, given the IMAX exclusivity and potential Oscar season buzz.
If nothing else, "Dunesday" promises to be a box office spectacle, whether it becomes a triumph or blows up in everyone's faces.
