IMAX Boss Wishes Avengers: Doomsday Played In IMAX Screenings After Losing To Dune: Part 3: “Disney Understands That”

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Even though Avengers: Doomsday was a massive hit in 2026, it wasn’t shown in IMAX theaters.

The new Marvel film and the third Dune movie are both scheduled to release on December 18th, creating a major competition between Disney and Warner Bros. as the year ends. Unfortunately, only Dune: Part Three will be available in IMAX, a situation IMAX CEO Rich Gelfond would prefer to avoid.

According to an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, IMAX’s Gelfond stated that a pre-existing agreement with Warner Bros. and Legendary for Dune: Part Three blocked Avengers: Doomsday from receiving a similar IMAX presentation. Gelfond also noted that Disney was aware of this situation and explained that the studio is marketing its premium large format screenings of Doomsday as “Infinity Vision.”

They developed a marketing approach called Infinity Vision to help promote their releases. Importantly, it doesn’t involve adding any extra scenes or content – it’s purely a branding initiative.

Marvel Studios and IMAX have been working together since 2010’s Iron Man 2, often filming parts of their movies in a special expanded format for IMAX screenings. Therefore, Avengers: Doomsday not being shown in IMAX is significant, but Disney reportedly understands that Dune: Part Three needed to be prioritized for that opening weekend.

After IMAX stock dropped due to investor concerns about recent Hollywood movie performance, Gelfond stated in a recent interview that they remain confident, dismissing the worries as unnecessary. He expressed optimism about the rest of IMAX’s 2026 film lineup, which includes highly anticipated titles like Toy Story 5, Supergirl, Minions & Monsters, The Odyssey, Street Fighter, and The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping.

After Avengers: Doomsday, the only Marvel movie currently confirmed for release is Avengers: Secret Wars, scheduled for December 17, 2027. However, the final film in the Multiverse Saga will face competition from two other movies opening that same weekend: The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum and The Housemaid’s Secret. While The Housemaid’s Secret probably won’t be shown in IMAX, the new Lord of the Rings movie is expected to be a strong competitor for that format.

Okay, so looking ahead to late 2026, things are getting HUGE. Apparently, Avengers: Doomsday is going to be an all-out brawl with basically every hero you can think of – the original Avengers, the New Avengers, the Fantastic Four, even the X-Men! And get this – Robert Downey Jr. is playing Doctor Doom, and he’s threatening the entire multiverse! I’m super excited that the Russo brothers – Joe and Anthony – are back directing, they’re doing both Doomsday and Secret Wars. The script is being written by Michael Waldron and Stephen McFeely, which is a great combination, honestly. It sounds like a massive event!

The next installment, Dune: Part Three, will cover the events of Frank Herbert’s novel Dune Messiah and conclude director Denis Villeneuve’s Dune trilogy. Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Jason Momoa, Florence Pugh, and Javier Bardem will return to their roles, and they’ll be joined by new cast members including Robert Pattinson, Isaach de Bankolé, Nakoa-Wolf Momoa, and Ida Brooke. Villeneuve co-wrote the screenplay with Brian K. Vaughan.

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2026-05-21 02:58