Both Dune: Part Three and Avengers: Doomsday are currently set to hit theaters on December 18, 2026.
Moviegoers have already started comparing the date to the “Barbenheimer” phenomenon, with many dubbing it “Dunesday.”
But what makes this matchup a bit different is the level of overlap between the two films.
Unlike Barbie and Oppenheimer, which appealed to very different audiences and tones, Dune and Avengers both target similar crowds and share the same kind of large scale blockbuster draw.
While promoting her role in Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man, Dune actress Rebecca Ferguson weighed in on the situation, touching on the value of blockbuster filmmaking and how major event films like these can bring audiences into theaters and help grow a wider appreciation for cinema overall.
"I was not aware of that but that's funny, that's a play on words...I think it's quite intense...I believe in incredible filmmaking and for people to go and see [movies] on big screens. And if you can make a bombastic, huge film and that draws the audience, that's amazing. And maybe that draws them to see the smaller films as well. I'm a cinephile, I love films. I'm really excited for them to come out."
While there's been no studio-released synopsis for Dune: Part Three yet, it's confirmed that the film will be an adaptation of Frank Herbert’s 1969 novel, Dune Messiah.
Based on that fact, the third Dune film will find Paul Atreides grappling with the cost of power as political intrigue swirls around him and he must weigh his reign against his personal dreams and goals. The film will be directed by Denis Villeneuve and stars Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Robert Pattinson, Florence Pugh, Anya Taylor-Joy, Jason Momoa, Rebecca Ferguson, and Josh Brolin.
For Avengers: Doomsday, the official description from Marvel Studios reads, "Doctor Doom has officially arrived on the Marvel Cinematic Universe stage. This villain, a master of cutting-edge science and powerful magic, will unleash a cascading crisis across the multiverse."
The film is directed by Russo Brothers, from a script penned by Stephen McFeely. An incredibly large ensemble cast turns out to fact Robert Downey Jr.'s Doctor Doom, including Chris Evans' Captain America, Chris Hemsworth as Thor, Pedro Pascal as Reed Richards, Letitia Wright as Shuri, Tom Hiddleston as Loki, Tenoch Huerta Mejia as Namor, Lewis Pullman as Sentry and more.