‘Dune: Part Three’ Expands IMAX Pre-Sales Amid ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ Ticket Rush

December has been marked on movie enthusiasts’ calendars for a while, especially with two major franchises set to release on the same day. Warner Bros.’ ‘Dune: Part Three’ and Disney’s ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ are in a showdown dubbed “Dunesday” by fans and industry insiders, as both studios remain firm on the December 18 release date.

This rivalry took an unexpected turn back in April when Warner Bros. surprised everyone by releasing select 70mm IMAX tickets for ‘Dune: Part Three’ a staggering eight months ahead of its premiere. This strategic move granted the Denis Villeneuve film an exclusive domestic IMAX window for its first three weeks, effectively sidelining Marvel’s ‘Doomsday’ from premium large-format screens in the U.S.

However, that initial advantage is now under significant pressure. ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ reportedly generated $16.5 million in day-one advance ticket sales from just 1,000 premium theaters, nearly double what ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ earned on its opening day, with sellouts rapidly occurring across major chains as fans rush to secure the earliest showtimes.

This surge seems to be prompting Warner Bros. to act. Ahead of a broader presale window, tickets for all IMAX screenings of ‘Dune: Part Three’ are set to go on sale Tuesday at 9 a.m. PST, marking a significant increase from the limited theaters that initially offered advance tickets back in April.

DISNEY forces WARNER BROS to start a wider pre-sales window for DUNE 3.

Tickets for all IMAX screens go on sale on Tuesday, 9am PST.

There’s a massive pressure on WB to give theaters a response to DOOMSDAY massive pre-sales.

We’ll witness a bloody battle for screens. pic.twitter.com/5jf7O5e1BY

— Global Box Office (@GlobalBoxOffice) August 12, 2026

Industry experts suggest that the current standoff is less about the release dates and more about the competition for the same screens. As sellouts continue to accumulate for ‘Doomsday,’ theater chains are reportedly reserving specific showtimes and premium formats to ensure availability for ‘Dune: Part Three’ when its wider sales window opens.

Warner Bros.’ advantage can be traced back to production choices made years ago. ‘Dune: Part Three’ was partially filmed with IMAX cameras, a first for the franchise, giving Villeneuve’s film a natural claim to the format that ‘Doomsday’ does not share. This technical distinction has directly influenced screen availability, with ‘Doomsday’ expected to be shown in IMAX only in select international markets, not domestically.

For Disney and Marvel Studios, losing access to the largest screens in the country is a significant blow, especially for a film that is being touted as one of the most critical Avengers releases since 2019’s ‘Endgame.’ Nevertheless, industry analysts have noted that ‘Doomsday’ still appears to be the bigger box office magnet by most metrics, suggesting that the IMAX battle may influence premium-format revenue more than it will determine the overall victor of the opening weekend.

Whether the expanded IMAX presale alleviates the pressure or merely highlights the fierce competition for screens remains to be seen. With four months left until either film’s release, both studios seem entrenched in their positions, using presale figures and screen allocations as preliminary skirmishes for the main event in December.

For fans, the race for tickets is likely to escalate as the release date nears, particularly with premium formats already showing signs of dwindling availability.

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