Avengers: Doomsday Reportedly Won’t Get IMAX Screens on 2026 Release

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While anticipation for the 2026 Marvel team-up film, Avengers: Doomsday, is incredibly high – building for over a year now – it might not initially be available in IMAX theaters when it’s released. Despite the excitement, the movie’s first theatrical run may not include the premium IMAX format that many fans were hoping for.

According to reports, the new Marvel movie Avengers: Doomsday won’t be available in IMAX theaters right away. Dune: Messiah, releasing on the same day, will have IMAX screens exclusively for the first three weeks. Unless something changes, fans won’t be able to see the fifth Avengers film in IMAX until at least January 8, 2027.

This is different from a report from October 2025 that listed 20 films, including Doomsday, expected to be shown in IMAX theaters in 2026. Dune: Messiah was also on that list, but it wasn’t clear if either movie would have a period of showing only in IMAX when they were first released.

A recent example of this occurred in July 2023 with the release of “Barbenheimer” – the simultaneous debut of Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer and Greta Gerwig’s Barbie on July 21st. Oppenheimer was shown exclusively in IMAX theaters, largely because of Nolan’s existing agreement with the company, while Barbie was not available in that format.

Marvel’s upcoming film, Avengers: Doomsday, will be the fifth Avengers movie and the third film released as part of Phase 6 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). The movie already has a large cast of at least 31 actors and will feature an epic showdown between the Avengers, X-Men, Fantastic Four, and the villain Victor von Doom, played by Robert Downey Jr. Avengers: Doomsday is scheduled to hit theaters on December 18th.

How Avengers: Doomsday’s Box Office Could Be Affected Without IMAX

As a big movie fan, I’ve noticed Marvel Studios consistently uses IMAX for their releases, though not every film gets that special treatment right away. It looks like Spider-Man 4 in 2026 might be an exception, but generally, if it’s a Marvel movie, there’s a good chance it’ll be in IMAX. The Avengers films, for example, always hit IMAX theaters when they first come out, and we were all expecting the same for the upcoming Doomsday movie.

If you’re looking for a great way to see the new Marvel movie and can’t get to IMAX, Dolby theaters are a fantastic alternative. They offer stunning visuals with vibrant colors thanks to Dolby Vision HDR, and their powerful sound system really pulls you into the action. While Dolby screens aren’t as tall as IMAX, they still deliver an incredibly immersive and impressive experience.

Another concern is whether the fact that Doomsday wasn’t initially shown in IMAX theaters will affect its box office performance. While it’s possible this could have an impact, Doomsday is still predicted to be the highest-grossing film of the year, and potentially the biggest hit of the decade so far.

The trailers for Doomsday were viewed over a billion times online in just one month, even though recordings made by fans in theaters appeared before the official releases. Considering the huge success of the Avengers movies – they’ve earned over $7.7 billion worldwide – Doomsday is almost certain to be a major blockbuster.

While this new movie probably won’t reach the massive box office numbers of hits like Endgame ($2.9 billion) or Infinity War ($2 billion), it still has good potential thanks to its familiar cast of popular Marvel characters and established stars.

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2026-01-21 21:04