Dune 3 and Avengers: Doomsday are set to square off at the box office later this year. However, Dune 3 is already pulling ahead in one key race.

Dune: Part Three and Avengers: Doomsday both open on December 18, 2026, and could be this year’s version of Barbenheimer. Barring an unforeseen setback for Marvel, Doomsday should win the box office battle. Avengers: Endgame and Avengers: Infinity War grossed $2.8 billion and $2.1 billion, respectively. The floor for Doomsday is $1 billion, but it’s probably more around $1.5 billion.

On the other side, it would be an incredible accomplishment if Dune: Part Three grossed $1 billion. Dune: Part One grossed $410 million, but that came when Warner Bros. released the film simultaneously on HBO Max. With a full theatrical run, Dune: Part Two exploded to $714 million. If Dune 3 matches Dune 2’s gross, that’s a win for Warner Bros.

While the box office clash might be over, Dune 3 has a significant edge in hype.

The hype gap between Dune 3 and Avengers: Doomsday is becoming impossible to ignore

Warner Bros. has done an excellent job in marketing Dune 3 as the final movie in Denis Villeneuve‘s trilogy. The hype around Dune 3 feels like how audiences felt about The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, an epic conclusion to an excellent trilogy. Speaking of Peter Jackson’s movie, there will also be an Oscar narrative surrounding Dune: Part Three. Many pundits are asking if Dune 3 can pull a Return of the King, aka win a substantial number of awards, including Best Picture.

The social media reaction to Dune: Part Three backs up the hype claims. The first Dune 3 teaser has 41 million views on YouTube, and the most recent trailer has 10 million views in 20 hours.

While Warner Bros. is generating significant excitement for Dune 3, the opposite is happening at Disney and Avengers: Doomsday. It’s been quiet on the Doomsday front since Marvel released four teaser trailers at the beginning of the year. Those four teasers generated over 80 million views on YouTube. However, they were all released five months ago, and no new footage has been released since.

Marvel is clearly focusing on Spider-Man: Brand New Day, which opens on July 31, 2026. The studio will likely ramp up its marketing efforts for Doomsday after Brand New Day. However, Marvel is famous for withholding much of the plot from its trailers. How much hype can a Doomsday trailer generate if it barely reveals anything new?

For now, Dune 3 is generating more excitement than Doomsday, and it’s not close.

Originally reported by Dan Girolamo for ComingSoon.