Both Dune: Part Three and Avengers: Doomsday are currently scheduled to be released in theaters on December 18, 2026.
Cinema fans around the world are convinced that another "Barbenheimer" is on the horizon, dubbing the December 18 release date, "Dunesday".
However, the unique thing about the Dune: Part III and Avengers: Doomsday situation is that unlike, Barbie and Oppenheimer, which offered up vastly different tones, intensity levels and genres, there's a tone of overlap between Dune and the Avengers in terms of demographics and massive blockbuster appeal.
Speaking on this situation while out promoting her role in Netflix's Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man, actress Rebecca Ferguson touched on the importance of big format filmmaking and its ability to draw people in and make them fans of cinema, as a whole.
"I was not aware of that but that's funny, that's a play on words...I think it's quite intense...I believe in incredible filmmaking and for people to go and see [movies] on big screens. And if you can make a bombastic, huge film and that draws the audience, that's amazing. And maybe that draws them to see the smaller films as well. I'm a cinephile, I love films. I'm really excited for them to come out."
While there's been no studio-released synopsis for Dune: Part Three yet, it's confirmed that the film will be an adaptation of Frank Herbert’s 1969 novel, Dune Messiah.
Based on that fact, the third Dune film will find Paul Atreides grappling with the cost of power as political intrigue swirls around him and he must weigh his reign against his personal dreams and goals. The film will be directed by Denis Villeneuve and stars Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Robert Pattinson, Florence Pugh, Anya Taylor-Joy, Jason Momoa, Rebecca Ferguson, and Josh Brolin.
For Avengers: Doomsday, the official description from Marvel Studios reads, "Doctor Doom has officially arrived on the Marvel Cinematic Universe stage. This villain, a master of cutting-edge science and powerful magic, will unleash a cascading crisis across the multiverse."
The film is directed by Russo Brothers, from a script penned by Stephen McFeely. An incredibly large ensemble cast turns out to fact Robert Downey Jr.'s Doctor Doom, including Chris Evans' Captain America, Chris Hemsworth as Thor, Pedro Pascal as Reed Richards, Letitia Wright as Shuri, Tom Hiddleston as Loki, Tenoch Huerta Mejia as Namor, Lewis Pullman as Sentry and more.