Marvel Studios CinemaCon Update: Kevin Feige on ‘AVENGERS: DOOMSDAY:’ “This film takes place where ‘Endgame’ left off but also goes back to when it all started with ‘X-Men.’”
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Star Wars CinemaCon Update: 49 minutes of The Mandalorian & Grogu was filmed for IMAX. A new trailer will drop later today, and tickets will go on sale tomorrow.
New footage from The Mandalorian & Grogu screened at CinemaCon leans heavily into the Inspector Gadget aspect of being a Mandalorian. Din Djarin is a full-blown space cowboy with a Western-inspired persona and an arsenal of high-tech weaponry.
The old protect the young, and then the young protect the old.
— Star Wars (@starwars) April 16, 2026
Tickets are on sale tomorrow for Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu only in theaters and IMAX May 22. pic.twitter.com/TA60tUMLJO
If early industry signals are anything to go by, Avengers: Doomsday isn’t just shaping up to be a major hit; it’s already being pegged as the biggest film of 2026. According to multiple Hollywood trades, the film is “exploding” on long-lead tracking, with rival studio executives privately predicting it will top the global box office by year’s end.
Disney is all set to capitalize on that momentum and is about to begin their marketing push in a major way at CinemaCon. Unlike previous years, where Disney often leaned heavily on footage, the studio is also expected to deploy serious star power to sell its slate this year. With Doomsday, which is the central attraction of Disney’s 2026 releases, still largely shrouded in mystery, this feels like the moment to not only define it but respond to Warner Bros. aggressive Dune marketing blitz. Don’t be surprised if Robert Downey Jr. makes a surprise appearance to tickle the fantasies of theatre owners across the country in a bid to reproduce some of the old Avengers magic.
There is also a real intrigue in how this looming juggernaut could reshape the release calendar—particularly its standoff with Dune 3. Warner Bros. has already made an aggressive move by putting IMAX tickets on sale a staggering nine months in advance, alongside dropping a spectacular trailer that has everybody hyped for the next and final instalment in Denis Villeneuve’s space opera saga.
The whole Dunesday situation has been really messy. Dune 3 previously had the December 18 date locked in, but Disney tried to butt in and make the date all about Avengers: Doomsday. A few years ago, no movie would have dared to open against an Avengers film, and Disney probably thought the same and that Warner Bros. would budge. But as well know now, it has not turned out to be the case.
RDJ then even tried to fashion “Dunesday” as a thing, much like Barberheimer, but that worked because it was counter-programming; Dune and Avengers: Doomsday both have the same primary demographic, and it will likely hurt the box office of both, at least in parts.
Doomsday currently holds Dolby screens, while Dune is positioned to dominate IMAX. But that balance could shift dramatically. If Disney were to move Doomsday up by even a single week, it could secure a full week of IMAX exclusivity before Dune arrives—while still retaining premium Dolby screens once the latter releases.
If that happens to be the case, it will turn out to be quite the strategic move from Disney, as it will allow Marvel to maximize premium format revenue while undercutting Dune’s biggest advantage. Given how crucial premium formats are to a spectacle-driven film like Dune, this disruption could have outsized consequences. Marvel, on the contrary, has previously proved that they do not need IMAX with No Way Home, but it is a nice-to-have, with the inflated ticket prices, especially during the holiday season, adding a good sum to the total.