Dune 3 will hit theaters before Avengers: Doomsday, but there's more to the story

2026 is set to end on an epic note as Dune 3 and Avengers: Doomsday make their way into the theaters. Initially, both were supposed to release on the same day, i.e., December 18, 2026. But now, it seems that the third Dune movie is releasing four days before its initial release date. ScreenRant was the first to publish a report stating these tickets were going live this Tuesday.

As of now, we don't know much about these screenings, as tickets haven't gone live. But we will know more about these screenings this week as the tickets for the early Dune 3 screenings go live.

Why is Dune 3 releasing four days before Avengers: Doomsday?

Dunesday | Image Via: YouTube/Warner Bros. Instagram/@marvelstudios

As of now, neither Warner Bros. Discovery nor Denis Villeneuve has given a reason for releasing Dune 3 on December 14, 2026, i.e., four days earlier than Doomsday. However, this move might be to avoid a clash with the hotly anticipated Marvel Cinematic Universe epic. Plus, releasing the movie four days earlier also keeps Dune: Part Three in conversation.

Moreover, it seems that it won't be releasing in all theaters on December 14, 2026. It seems that it will be available on limited IMAX screens, but we will get a clear picture only when tickets go live this week.

Does it mean that Avengers: Doomsday releases on IMAX?

As of now, we don't know what this preponement means for Doomsday's IMAX release. Considering the third Dune movie and Avengers: Doomsday were releasing on the same day (still releasing the same week), Dune: Part Three will occupy IMAX screens for a while. Therefore, Doomsday will be releasing on non-IMAX screens for a while.

However, Avengers: Doomsday could take a page from Spider-Man: Brand New Day and release on non-IMAX screens first and then go for an IMAX release a week or so later. But we will know if that will happen or not only in December when both Doomsday and Dune: Part Three approach their respective release dates.

However, between Dune: Part Three and Doomsday, the former has been hyped up as a must-watch for IMAX screens. While Doomsday has been hyped up as an exciting project, the MCU epic has been marketed as a must-watch for all types of screens, IMAX or not.

Does this alleviate the concerns of theater owners?

This March, The Hollywood Reporter published a report in which theater owners candidly discussed their anxieties about not one but two male-audience-skewered sci-fi blockbuster projects. A representative for a theater chain said the following:

“Someone’s gotta move. That’s a level of overwhelm that doesn’t make sense. Especially after the last few years [of theaters struggling]. An Avengers movie and Dune 3 are both sure things.”

Now that Dune: Part Three is releasing a few days early, we don't know if it is going to make a difference since both are releasing the same week. However, even if theater owners might be anxious about the two projects releasing, that week is going to be special for fans across the world.