The box office fight just got real, and it’s looking messy.
While taping the French program Quotidien in Paris this week, Timothée Chalamet reportedly told the crowd that the first trailer for Dune: Part Three is already finished. Even though the episode hasn’t officially aired, audience leaks are spreading fast.
The headline is simple: the trailer is done, and that changes everything for the 2026 release calendar.
The “Dunesday” Showdown: December 18, 2026
Two giants on the same day
Dune 3 is set to open on December 18, 2026, immediately following Avengers: Doomsday. That’s not counterprogramming. That’s a cage match.
And here’s the part most people are missing. Warner Bros. locked down a three-week exclusive deal with IMAX. So if you want the biggest screens, the loudest sound, the full premium experience, you’re watching sandworms, not superheroes. That could push Robert Downey Jr.’s Doctor Doom movie onto regular screens at launch while Paul Atreides gets the giant ones.
That’s huge leverage. Because IMAX equals Hype and Hype equals money
What We Know About Dune: Part Three
This movie jumps forward twelve years and adapts Dune Messiah. The tone’s darker, weirder, and more political. Less “hero rises,” more “power has consequences.”Here’s the “Expert” breakdown of the new cast:
- Robert Pattinson is confirmed as the lead villain, Scytale, a shapeshifting Face Dancer from the Tleilaxu.
- Jason Momoa is back, but not how you think—he’s playing the “ghola” (clone) Hayt.
- The Twins: Keep an eye out for news on Paul’s children, Leto II and Ghanima, who will be central to this final chapter.
So, When Does The Trailer Drop?
People are guessing the Super Bowl. It does sound cool, but it’s unlikely.
Those ads cost around $7 million for half a minute. Warner Bros. usually doesn’t burn money like that unless it’s desperate, and Dune doesn’t need desperation marketing.
The smarter move would be a big theatrical drop in March when spring blockbusters start rolling out, so every moviegoer sees it on the big screen.
Cheaper. Louder. Smarter.
The Bottom Line
Warner Bros. isn’t playing defense. With the trailer finished and the IMAX screens locked, they are positioning Dune 3 as the cinematic event of 2026, forcing Marvel to decide if they really want to share the weekend. If Disney doesn’t blink and move Doomsday, December is going to be a brutal fight between sand and superheroes.
And we will be left picking a side
