It’s been a rocky few years for Marvel Studios, but things are finally set to get back on the right track with two massive releases this year. Marvel Studios will swing back into action at the end of July with Spider-Man: Brand New Day, which will mark Tom Holland’s fourth solo Spider-Man movie. The film also stars MCU veteran Mark Ruffalo, and it will see Jon Bernthal make his big-screen Marvel debut along with Stranger Things’ own Sadie Sink. Following Spider-Man 4 a few months later is Avengers: Doomsday, which was first announced at San Diego Comic-Con in 2024. Taking the place of the canceled Avengers: The Kang Dynasty, Doomsday will see Marvel icon Robert Downey Jr. return to the MCU as the feature villain Doctor Doom. The film was previously slated to premiere in May before being delayed to December 18.
Once Avengers: Doomsday was delayed, it didn’t take fans long to pick up on a major contender during its opening weekend. The film is now scheduled to be released on the same day as Dune: Part Three, the Timothée Chalamet-starring sci-fi epic from director Denis Villeneuve. Marvel certainly has a longer history of box office success than the Dune movies, but if Dune 3 continues the trend of its predecessors, it could be the first film in the trilogy to crack $1 billion at the box office. IMAX announced its slate for the rest of 2026 and part of 2027 just yesterday, though, and it caused a big shock for Marvel fans. It has been officially revealed that Dune: Part Three will have IMAX exclusivity in America, with Avengers: Doomsday only playing on select IMAX screens internationally.
What Does This Mean For ‘Avengers: Doomsday’?
It’s too early to highlight specifics, but this could mean a few things for the release of Avengers: Doomsday. Most obviously, the film is going to take a hit at the box office due to missing out on every IMAX screen in America. The event film is still expected to be a massive box office success due to the large returning names like Downey, Chris Evans, and Chris Hemsworth, but Dune: Part Three will certainly cut into its earnings. While unlikely, this could also mean another potential delay for Doomsday, or even possibly a shift forward a few weeks to give it time to play in IMAX before the arrival of Dune 3.
via Collider