Forget Barbenheimer: 'Dunesday' Is Shaping Up to Be a Box Office Bloodbath

The theatrical box office right around Christmas is historically one of, if not the biggest of the year. It's where studios place their biggest titles, or the movies they don't think will be challenged. But this year, two studios are preparing for what seems like a cinematic cage match.

December 18 is no longer just a movie release date; it’s war.

And we have Warner Bros and Denis Velleneueve taking Dune: Part Three against Disney and the Russo Brothers' Avengers: Doomsday.

These two powerhouses will collide in a weekend mirroring the Barbenheimer phenomenon of 2023.

But these are both PG-13 epics with wide appeal that have already caused early tickets to sell out and ticketing sites to crash.

The numbers are going to be staggering.

Let's dive in.

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$1,000 Scalper Tickets and Site Crashes for Dune 3

I am a fan of the first two Dune movies. I saw them both in IMAX, and I was casually planning on seeing the third that way...until I logged on to buy tickets and discovered that...welll...there aren't any left.

In a situation comparable to The Odyssey, Dune Part: Three tickets have sold out all over.

Yesterday, a fresh batch of advanced IMAX 70mm and PLF (Premium Large Format) tickets for Dune: Part Three dropped, only to sell out within hours. If you wanted to score them, you had to get on eBay, where I saw listings for $1000.

Ticketing sites like AMC and Fandango experienced widespread site crashes as thousands of fans scrambled to secure opening-weekend seats.

For now, it looks like I'll have to wait until the new year to score an IMAX seat.

Marvel Fights Back: 'Doomsday' Presales Break Records

If you thought Marvel's Avengers: Doomsday would be a consolation prize, think again.

Marvel’s heavy hitter is putting up jaw-dropping pre-sale numbers of its own, taking up probably most of the other screens that weekend.

Like, I have no idea how these theaters will have room for other titles, but we will see.

Early presale tracking reports indicate that Avengers: Doomsday is currently pacing 65% ahead of Spider-Man: Brand New Day....

To put that into context, that movie just passed the $2 billion mark globally.

This sets the bar insanely high for Doomsday, which they also hope crosses the two billion dollar mark.

And because they can't get IMAX screens, they're showing it in Infinity Vision, which is Marvel's version of IMAX.

The Road to a $10 Billion Box Office Year

We need more showdowns like this one because it's showing that movies can still dominate pop culture, and a healthy box office helps all of Hollywood.

And the calendar here showcases how we could have the biggest year ever since 2019.

Both films are entering the market right at the start of a golden two-week holiday runway, where families usually spend at least one day at the movies together.

Any worry of cannibalizing each other’s business has been tossed aside as business experts put forth the idea that the "Dunesday" double-feature cultural phenomenon could lift both titles simultaneously.

Again, that's based on the Barbenheimer trend we saw in 2023.

The combined momentum of Dune 3 and Doomsday could easily push the cumulative annual box office past the coveted $10 billion threshold.

We could really use it in Hollywood, so go see these movies!

What This Means for Filmmakers

For indie creators, cinema students, and working filmmakers at every level, "Dunesday" is proof that the theatrical experience isn't dying.

We are seeing the real-time evolution of event cinema.

Audiences are making it clear that when studios invest in high-concept, auteur-driven spectacle and massive, multi-year narratives.

And in a year where we saw originals crush too, audiences want good movies to go see!

Popcorn futures are up, IMAX projectors are being prepped, and December 18 is officially shaping up to be legendary.

Let me know which movie you're seeing first in the comments.