Much has been said about Avengers: Doomsday and Spider-Man: Brand New Day not receiving IMAX releases in the U.S. Now, that's been confirmed by the company in a new investor presentation.
Both are listed as playing on IMAX screens "currently only in select international markets." So, that's good news for Marvel fans overseas, but no doubt a disappointment for anyone reading this in the States.
Why have Marvel Studios and Sony Pictures been frozen out of the giant-sized screens? Well, Warner Bros. and Christopher Nolan got there first with The Odyssey. That has a window of exclusivity that eats into Spider-Man: Brand New Day's release a couple of weeks later.
As for Denis Villeneuve's Dune: Part Three threequel, it's arriving in theaters on the same day as Avengers: Doomsday, and its own IMAX exclusivity is likely why the movie hasn't backed down from Earth's Mightiest Heroes.
It's unlikely that either MCU movie will be hurt too much by the lack of IMAX showings. People who want to see these movies will still do so in other formats, though both future blockbusters stand to lose millions of dollars from the increased IMAX ticket prices. If they each ultimately crack $1 billion, though, that will be a drop in the ocean.
The biggest losers are ultimately the fans. The Fantastic Four: First Steps was shot entirely with IMAX cameras and looked phenomenal. Chances are the same applies to Spider-Man: Brand New Day and Avengers: Doomsday, meaning those in the U.S. won't be able to watch either movie in their optimal format...unless an IMAX release is scheduled for weeks after opening weekend.
Hopefully, we'll get some clarity soon. In the meantime, fans are still waiting on Spider-Man: Brand New Day's long-overdue teaser trailer and a first look at Robert Downey Jr.'s Doctor Doom in Avengers: Doomsday (which, unfortunately, didn't drop a new sneak peek during the Super Bowl).
Avengers: Doomsday officially stars Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Anthony Mackie, Winston Duke, Tom Hiddleston, Sebastian Stan, Letitia Wright, Paul Rudd, and Robert Downey Jr. Wyatt Russell, Simu Liu, Tenoch Huerta Mejia, Mabel Cadena, Florence Pugh, Danny Ramirez, David Harbour, Hannah John-Kamen, Lewis Pullman, and India Rose Hemsworth all make their Avengers franchise debuts.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps leads Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, and Joseph Quinn join them, as do X-Men franchise stars Kelsey Grammer, Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, Alan Cumming, Rebecca Romijn, James Marsden, with Deadpool & Wolverine star Channing Tatum. The trades have pointed to Ryan Reynolds and Hayley Atwell also appearing in Avengers: Doomsday.
The Russo Brothers direct Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars from a screenplay by Stephen McFeely, with whom they previously collaborated on the Avengers and Captain America franchises. Loki and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness's Michael Waldron has also been enlisted to help.
Avengers: Doomsday is set to be released on December 18, with Avengers: Secret Wars scheduled to arrive on December 17, 2027. As for Spider-Man: Brand New Day, it's heading our way on July 31, 2026.