As of now, Avengers: Doomsday and Dune: Part Three are both scheduled for release on December 18, 2026. It's a move that's unlikely to do either movie any favours, though it's hard to shake the feeling that "Dunesday," as it's been dubbed by fans, will see the Dune threequel suffer most.
Marvel Studios has no intention of backing down, and based on a World of Reel report, Denis Villeneuve's movie may end up arriving in theaters sooner than expected.
Dune: Part Three wrapped shooting last month, giving it close to 10 months to complete post-production. That makes a shift to October or November perfectly plausible, and the site has uncovered further evidence to suggest that might be the case.
They point to a recent interview with Venice Film Festival artistic director Alberto Barbera, in which he said the next Dune movie "could be a possibility" for next September's event.
As the report, which is mostly speculative, points out, "If 'Dune 3' were released in December, odds are that it wouldn’t be premiering at Venice, which takes place during the first and second week of September. However, an October or November release date? A splash on the Lido seems much more plausible."
We'll see what happens, but when it comes to premium format screens, Avengers: Doomsday will surely be a priority. That won't be good for Dune: Part Three, so we'll see if and when Warner Bros. Discovery blinks.
While filmmaker Denis Villeneuve will soon shift focus to the next James Bond movie, we fully expect him to deliver with the conclusion to this trilogy. He's also assembled an all-star cast that includes Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Robert Pattinson, Florence Pugh, Anya Taylor-Joy, Jason Momoa, Rebecca Ferguson, and Josh Brolin.
Avengers: Doomsday officially stars 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, Florence Pugh, Danny Ramirez, David Harbour, Hannah John-Kamen, and Lewis Pullman all make their Avengers franchise debuts in the movie.
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 Russo Brothers direct the movie from a screenplay by Stephen McFeely, with whom they previously collaborated on the Captain America and Avengers franchises. Loki and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness's Michael Waldron is also working on the script.
Avengers: Doomsday is set to be released on December 18, 2026, with Avengers: Secret Wars scheduled to arrive on December 17, 2027.