In a massive breach from MCU tradition, Avengers: Doomsday is releasing seven years after the last Avengers blockbuster. To be fair to Marvel, the film was originally supposed to have released in 2025, but was delayed in part due to the Writers’ Strikes. Marvel initially scheduled it for a May release, something of a tradition for the MCU, but instead moved it to December. At first glance, that seemed a smart move; it kept Marvel well away from the next Star Wars movie, The Mandalorian and Grogu, meaning two Disney films didn’t eat into one another in the box office.
Videos by ComicBook.com
But Avengers: Doomsday faces one Arakkis-sized problem. It will be hitting theaters at the same time as Denis Villeneuve’s Dune: Part Three, continuing his epic sci-fi adaptation. Even Robert Downey Jr. has endorsed this as “Dunesday,” riffing on the odd competition between Barbie and Oppenheimer that helped boost both films. In this case, though, many are concerned there’ll be too much of an audience overlap and that both will suffer because of the other. What’s more, some are arguing that’s just become more likely… and that Avengers: Doomsday needs to move.
Dune Just Got A Big Advantage Over Avengers: Doomsday
The issue lies with the coveted IMAX tickets. There are roughly 360 IMAX theaters in the United States, but they often contribute a disproportionate amount of a film’s revenue due to premium pricing. Studios increasingly use IMAX as part of marketing, stressing that their latest release is a cinematic experience that needs to be enjoyed in the best (and, of course, most expensive) format. Given Dune and Avengers: Doomsday are in theaters at the same time, they’re inevitably going to be competing for those IMAX screens.
Dune: Part Three just got a massive advantage over Doomsday, because it seems Warner Bros. has (for now) won out in the battle for IMAX. The latest IMAX investor’s report reveals that Dune will be showing in US IMAX theaters, while Doomsday will only be screening “in select international markets.” It’s a massive blow to the MCU, potentially limiting the box office performance of Doomsday, and it’s leading to some speculation from industry figures that Doomsday will have no choice but to move – again.
Dune Needed IMAX A Lot More Than Avengers: Doomsday
It’s easy to see why Warner Bros. wanted the IMAX screens; a surprising percentage of Dune: Part Two‘s box office came from those premium tickets. That film grossed $715 million worldwide, making $145 million at IMAX – over 20%, which is a staggering achievement. Villeneuve has deliberately shot parts of Dune: Part Three using more expensive IMAX cameras, clearly intending to capitalize on that format again, so Warner Bros. really needed to get Dune into IMAX.
But there’s a marked contrast between Dune and Avengers: Doomsday. Directors Joe and Anthony Russo shot their previous Avengers films (Infinity War and Endgame) using IMAX cameras, but there are currently no reports indicating they’ve done the same for Doomsday. In fact, when discussing IMAX, all they’ve said is that they hope it will be watched on those screens, not that they deliberately intended it to be and shot it with IMAX technology. They’ve actually avoided opportunities where they could have mentioned it.
All this means the competition between Dune and Doomsday was not an even one. One was made for IMAX, while all the evidence suggests the other only ever anticipated IMAX as a bonus. This certainly makes sense of IMAX’s decision to prioritize Dune domestically, and even potentially in some overseas markets (given the comment about Doomsday only releasing in “select” countries).
Disney Is Unlikely To Push Doomsday Back Again
It’s not inconceivable that Marvel and Disney will move Doomsday. But it’s worth noting just how much effort has already been put into marketing this December release date, with an actual “Doomsday Clock” set up on the Marvel websites. The studio has already begun marketing Doomsday to general audiences; that’s why there were no less than four Doomsday trailers alongside Avatar: Fire and Ash. The Avatar franchise is notable for its unusual offline fanbase, meaning Disney rightly saw this as an opportunity to hype audiences who may otherwise be missed (and who may not turn up if the film is rescheduled).
It is, of course, very unusual for a blockbuster to begin marketing so much a year out. Among other things, doing so is a promise and commitment, which really means Disney will only really move this film if there is no choice. The most likely scenario is that Disney hope Doomsday has good legs, lasting well into 2027, and allowing the studio to book some IMAX screens in January and February when Dune has left them. At this point, an actual move is probably not going to happen.
What do you think? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!
Most Viewed
-
Crunchyroll -
images courtesy of Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
