DUNESDAY Showdown: Warner Bros. Reportedly Refuses to Move DUNE 3 Away From AVENGERS: DOOMSDAY
December 18, 2026 is going to be a big day for movie fans. That’s the day Warner Bros. and Marvel Studios are currently set to unleash two absolute cinematic heavyweights at the exact same time.
Against all expectations, Warner Bros. has no intention of moving Dune: Part Three out of the path of Avengers: Doomsday, setting the stage for what’s already being dubbed Dunesday.
When both studios locked in the same release date, most people assumed this was temporary. Marvel’s next Avengers film could easily dominate the box office, and WB would eventually slide Denis Villeneuve’s sci-fi epic to safer ground. That doesn’t appear to be happening.
Industry insiders say Warner Bros. is digging in. According to The Town host Matt Belloni and The Hot Mic co-host Jeff Sneider, the studio feels confident enough to stand its ground.
They report that WB believes they have the upper hand on timing, noting the studio “claimed the date first and have confirmed they’re not budging.”
That decision signals a willingness to go head-to-head with Marvel on one of the most competitive weekends imaginable. Some see echoes of Barbenheimer in the strategy, but the comparison only goes so far.
Barbie and Oppenheimer were wildly different films aimed at different audiences. The overlap between an Avengers event movie and the conclusion of Villeneuve’s Dune trilogy is much bigger.
Sure, plenty of fans would gladly turn it into an all-day double feature. The only problem is time. Both movies are expected to push past the three-hour mark, making that commitment a serious endurance test. Even so, it’s hard to imagine any film sharing a release date with Doomsday and not feeling the pressure.
Still, Warner Bros. appears confident in the strength of Dune as a franchise and Villeneuve’s vision. The studio may be betting that loyalty from sci-fi fans and premium format screens can carry Dune: Part Three through opening weekend without blinking.
There’s ongoing speculation that WB could eventually shift the movie to October or November, giving it more breathing room while keeping awards season momentum. For now, though, the studio isn’t flinching.
On the Marvel side, the calendar recently shifted as well. Avengers: Doomsday was delayed and now lands on December 18, 2026, with Avengers: Secret Wars following on December 17, 2027. Both films mark the return of Anthony Russo and Joe Russo.
Whether this ends in a dramatic standoff or a last-minute retreat remains to be seen. For now, Warner Bros. isn’t moving, and Marvel isn’t blinking. If the studios follow through with this, I’d put my money on Marvel winning the box office.