Why This Matters
The battle for premium screens has become one of Hollywood’s most consequential release-date dramas, and the latest clash between Warner Bros./Legendary’s next “Dune” chapter and Disney’s “Avengers: Doomsday” is shaping up as a high-stakes test of studio leverage, audience appetite and the enduring power of theatrical spectacle.
IMAX chief executive Rich Gelfond has made clear where he believes the advantage sits. Denis Villeneuve’s third “Dune” film has already locked in IMAX and IMAX 70mm screens for its opening weekend, giving the sci-fi epic first claim on the format most closely associated with event cinema. That leaves Marvel’s next Avengers installment, despite its massive brand recognition and the return of Robert Downey Jr. in a new villainous role as Doctor Doom, facing a more complicated premium-large-format rollout if both films hold their current Dec. 18 date.
Gelfond’s skepticism toward Disney’s “Infinity Vision” positioning underscores a larger industry truth: in today’s theatrical marketplace, branding a film as visually immersive is not the same as securing the auditoriums audiences most associate with immersion. IMAX screens are finite, particularly the prized 70mm locations that helped turn “Oppenheimer” into a cultural event and strengthened the “Dune” franchise’s reputation as a must-see theatrical property.
For exhibitors, the question is not merely which studio has the bigger franchise. It is which film can drive the most urgent, format-specific demand. Villeneuve’s “Dune” movies have cultivated a premium-audience identity built around scale, sound and the director’s insistence on a theatrical experience. Marvel, by contrast, is attempting to reassert its dominance after a more uneven period for the superhero genre, and “Doomsday” is being positioned as a major course correction for the MCU.
That makes the screen-allocation fight more than inside-baseball. It could affect opening-weekend grosses, fan perception and the narrative around two of the most important franchises in the marketplace. A film denied IMAX access on opening weekend is not shut out of success, but it loses a powerful marketing and revenue engine at the exact moment when audience urgency is highest.
Industry Context
Hollywood has spent the post-pandemic era learning that premium formats are no longer an enhancement; for certain films, they are the business model. IMAX, Dolby Cinema and other large-format screens can lift average ticket prices, concentrate fan demand and turn opening weekends into destination events. Studios now date their biggest releases with an eye toward these auditoriums as much as traditional competition.
The “Barbenheimer” phenomenon proved that two films can thrive on the same weekend when they serve different audiences and become part of a shared cultural conversation. But the comparison has limits. “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” were not fighting for the exact same premium-screen identity in the same way. “Dune” and “Avengers” are both effects-driven tentpoles aimed at global audiences, and both would benefit enormously from the same high-value real estate.
Villeneuve’s relationship with IMAX has become one of the defining filmmaker-format partnerships in contemporary cinema. “Dune: Part Two” performed exceptionally well in premium formats, with many viewers seeking out IMAX specifically rather than treating it as an optional upgrade. That kind of audience behavior matters to IMAX because it reinforces the company’s claim that certain films are uniquely suited to its platform.
Disney’s challenge is different. The studio remains one of the most powerful suppliers in the theatrical ecosystem, and the Avengers name is still among the strongest in global entertainment. But Marvel is no longer operating in the unquestioned peak era of “Endgame.” Recent MCU entries have faced closer scrutiny, franchise fatigue has become part of the conversation, and the studio is trying to rebuild momentum with familiar faces, multiverse stakes and a new central threat.
The “Infinity Vision” pitch appears designed to signal that “Doomsday” will offer a heightened presentation worthy of the Avengers brand. Yet Gelfond’s reaction reflects the hard-nosed reality of exhibition: formats are judged by infrastructure, audience loyalty and screen commitments, not just studio language. If IMAX has already committed its opening-weekend footprint to “Dune,” Disney’s terminology may help sell the film, but it will not automatically create additional IMAX capacity.
This also highlights a shifting power dynamic. For years, studios could assume that the biggest comic-book releases would dominate the premium landscape. Now, filmmakers, format partners and exhibitors are making more selective bets. A director-driven science-fiction epic can command the kind of priority once reserved almost exclusively for superhero franchises. That is a meaningful change in how the industry defines event cinema.
What Happens Next?
The most obvious next step is a release-date adjustment. Disney and Warner Bros. are unlikely to ignore the financial implications of splitting premium attention during one of the most valuable corridors of the year. If either studio moves, the decision will be framed publicly as strategic positioning, but the underlying issue will be access to the best screens at the best time.
If both films stay put, the weekend could become a major stress test for exhibitors. Theaters would need to balance contractual obligations, local audience demand and showtime economics. “Dune” may own IMAX at launch, but “Avengers: Doomsday” would still command enormous screen counts and could dominate standard and other premium formats. The result could be a rare holiday showdown in which both titles post huge numbers while leaving money on the table in specific formats.
Marvel fans will be watching closely to see whether Disney can turn “Doomsday” into the kind of unmissable event that restores the MCU’s theatrical swagger. The return of Phase One icons and Downey’s headline-grabbing shift from Tony Stark to Doctor Doom give the film a built-in conversation starter, but the marketing will need to convince audiences that this is more than nostalgia and multiverse spectacle.
For “Dune,” the opportunity is to cement its status as the defining big-screen science-fiction franchise of the decade. Securing IMAX early sends a message to audiences, exhibitors and competitors: this is a film being built around the theatrical experience from the ground up. In an era when studios are fighting to justify scale, that distinction carries weight.
The coming months will reveal whether this remains a scheduling collision or becomes a full-fledged industry showdown. Either way, Gelfond’s comments have sharpened the stakes. The fight is no longer just about which movie opens bigger. It is about who gets to define the future of premium moviegoing during one of Hollywood’s most lucrative windows.