Avengers: Doomsday will only be displayed in IMAX in “select international markets”, as Dune 3 – which is set to release on the exact same date – has nabbed exclusivity in the US.
Since most theaters only have one IMAX screen, fans had been wondering whether the blockbusters would divvy out showings during their opening weekends, or battle it out. Guess now we have our answer… IMAX confirmed in an investor presentation (slide 13) that the Denis Villeneuve-directed sci-fi sequel will take precedence over the star-studded Marvel outing on December 18, which has been affectionately dubbed “Dunesday”.
“We’ve decided to coin it,” Marvel actor Robert Downey Jr. previously joked at a Q&A event for Timothée Chalamet’s new movie Marty Supreme. He then jokingly added, “We’ll see if we’re still friends by then.”
Based on Frank Herbert’s Dune Messiah, Dune: Part Three will catch up with Chalamet’s Paul Atreides over a decade after the events of Dune: Part Two. Now a world-weary Emperor, he must face up to the dark consequences of his rise to power – and engage in emotionally-charged politics with the Bene Gesserit, as they plot to dethrone him. Zendaya, Florence Pugh, Rebecca Ferguson, Anya Taylor-Joy, Jason Momoa, and Robert Pattinson round out the cast.