I was standing in line for a late-night screening when someone whispered that Avengers: Doomsday wouldn’t be shown in IMAX here on opening weekend. The spice must flow—and it got there first. You can feel the room shift when a premium format disappears from the map.
People are already buying December tickets at a different pace
On the street, concession lines and preorders are behaving like radar: they show you where attention is going. Dune: Part Three locked in exclusive IMAX rights in the United States for its opening weekend, according to IMAX’s investor presentation, which means Avengers: Doomsday will be barred from IMAX screens in the US for that first weekend.
Why can’t I see Avengers: Doomsday in IMAX on opening weekend?
You’ll want a quick read: IMAX granted exclusive U.S. opening-weekend rights to Denis Villeneuve’s Dune: Part Three because its release date had been locked down with no competing title in the calendar. Studios like Warner Bros. and directors with franchise-level box office pull often secure those slots; IMAX’s investor deck spells out that exclusivity. For you, that means IMAX prints, screens and the big-ticket premium seats are reserved for Dune stateside while Doomsday can only access IMAX openings overseas.
The studios can still reshuffle, but it’s on Disney to move
Outside meetings with calendars and legal teams, release dates are a stack of dominoes on executives’ desks. Disney once had Doomsday set for May 1, 2026, then slid it to December 18, 2026—ironically landing right on top of Dune’s weekend. That move handed Warner Bros. and Denis Villeneuve the IMAX first claim. Now the choice to swap dates sits with Disney and Marvel: they can chase IMAX dollars, or they can trust the franchise pull and keep the December slot.
Will Disney move Avengers: Doomsday to avoid competition?
I’m straight with you: studios rarely move a tentpole late without a clear business reason. Disney already ran a month-and-a-half livestream countdown on Marvel’s YouTube and has marketing momentum timed to December 18. The lost IMAX weekend is a hit to premium per-ticket revenue—IMAX surcharges often add roughly $8 (€7) per ticket—but between promotional momentum and holiday audiences, Disney might accept that trade-off rather than reshuffle the calendar again.
Overseas IMAX will carry some of the premium lift
At international box offices you can already see alternative play: different territories still get IMAX openings. That helps offset the U.S. shortfall. For Marvel, that means opening-weekend grosses will lean on international IMAX runs plus standard premium large-format screens and saturated multiplex placements.
Can I still watch Doomsday in IMAX outside the US?
Yes. IMAX’s U.S. exclusivity applies to the first weekend only; many international markets will show Doomsday in IMAX on opening weekend. If you live outside the U.S., your ticket options are likely unchanged—check local listings, IMAX theater chains, and Box Office Mojo-style schedules for confirmations.
Small per-ticket losses add up to a meaningful figure
At concession stands and ticket scanners, a few dollars make a loud effect on totals. Losing U.S. IMAX access for just a weekend chips at premium revenue streams—multiply $8 (€7) by hundreds of thousands of opening-weekend viewers and you’re looking at meaningful sums that matter to studio calculus, ad partners, and exhibitor deals.
Here’s what to watch next: will IMAX or Disney publicly negotiate, will Warner Bros. defend its slot, or will studios quietly accept a split holiday in favor of broader December take? A single weekend’s format hold can change launch dynamics—so who blinks first?