With Avengers: Doomsday and Dune 3 vying for IMAX theaters during the same weekend, Disney lost out. Both films will premiere Dec. 18, 2026, but only Dune 3 will be receiving the full IMAX experience. Disney’s blockbuster lost US exclusivity and will only be released in IMAX in “select international markets.” Perhaps this could have been solved by a simple scheduling compromise on Disney’s part, who’s to say?
As it stands, we're looking at a crash collision between two beloved franchises. And so it perhaps should not surprise us that, at CinemaCon April 16, Disney announced the introduction of Infinity Vision. This is a new certification for Premium Large Format (PLF) theaters that are approved to provide the best viewing experience in which Disney films can be shown. Standards are focused around large format screens with laser projection and premium sound.
You might find yourself thinking, Isn’t that pretty much IMAX?. Well, you’re not totally off-base. The big difference is that IMAX presents an expanded ratio, and that there’s as yet no guarantee Infinity Vision will match that experience. On the other hand, with the situation as it stands, Infinity Vision could at least help audiences identify which theaters at least come very close.
Naturally, response to this has been mixed, with some film fans mocking the move. After all, tagging pre-existing PLF theaters with a Disney-approved stamp isn’t inherently doing anything outside a general branding move. Fans are concerned about increased prices based entirely around marketing hype rather than actual quality.
Either way, the affectionately dubbed “Dunesday” weekend is coming down fast. The official launch of Infinity Vision is set to coincide with the September expanded re-release of Avengers: Endgame, continuing with the December release of Avengers: Doomsday on Dec. 18.