‘Dune: Part Three’ vs ‘Avengers: Doomsday’: Will IMAX Screen Crunch Impact Shah Rukh Khan’s ‘King’?

As the December 2026 box office corridor shapes up into one of the most crowded and closely watched windows in recent memory, the conversation is steadily shifting from star power to screen real estate. With “Dune: Part Three” and “Avengers: Doomsday” arriving the same day (December 18) and Shah Rukh Khan’s “King” following soon after (December 24), the real battle may not just be about audience footfall, but about access, especially to premium formats like IMAX. Trade experts and exhibitors weigh in on how this three-way clash could play out, and whether scale, timing or sheer demand will ultimately decide the winner.

For now, “Dune: Part Three” does have an upper hand, as it has been filmed for IMAX, which ensures it will get all IMAX screens from Day 1. As for “Avengers: Doomsday,” reports suggest that in the West, Disney might push it across Dolby, D-Box, 4DX, and AMC’s XL (Premium Large Screen) formats to attract audiences while still aiming for massive box office numbers.

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A similar strategy could be applied in India, adapted to the formats available in the country. As for Shah Rukh Khan’s “King,” there is no clear strategy in sight for now.

Trade analyst Taran Adarsh points to Khan’s global appeal as a major factor working in “King”’s favour. “Internationally, Shah Rukh Khan has his own major following. Of course, there are Hollywood films that would compete. But if the diaspora, or for that matter people from other nationalities, want to watch Shah Rukh Khan, they would definitely watch it. A Shah Rukh Khan film is an event.”

However, he does acknowledge a potential bottleneck. “Dune: Part Three” is expected to get the lion’s share of IMAX screens, followed by “Avengers: Doomsday,” leaving very little room for “King.” “IMAX screens are often dedicated to big Hollywood releases like ‘Dune.’ Let’s see how things shape up closer to the release. It’s a bit too early to discuss that,” he adds.

Film exhibitor Vishek Chauhan highlights the importance of screen allocation in such scenarios. “Yes, ‘Dune: Part Three’ and ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ will definitely occupy screen space, especially IMAX, which is a potent format now in India. There would be commitments with Warner Bros. and Disney,” he says.

A source familiar with developments at IMAX adds that nothing is locked yet, but certain patterns are likely. “Nothing is confirmed for now. While ‘Dune: Part Three’ gets a one week exclusive with IMAX, it is highly likely that ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ will pick up the ‘Experience in IMAX’ tag, similar to what ‘Dhurandhar: The Revenge’ received closer to the release date. Since the Timothée Chalamet starrer is filmed for IMAX, it will have an upper hand for at least a week. After that, the Marvel ensemble film will likely get some screens in the second week with an ‘Experience in IMAX’ tag.”

The source also suggests that “King” may not be entirely out of the race. “While these two films will get preference, ‘King’ could still secure a spot, considering Siddharth Anand’s last two films were also given the ‘Experience in IMAX’ tag after being rendered for the format. Anything is possible at this stage.”

That said, the crunch remains real. With “Dune: Part Three” expected to dominate IMAX screens initially and “Avengers: Doomsday” following closely behind, the window for “King” in premium formats could be limited. As the release dates draw closer, negotiations between studios, exhibitors and IMAX will ultimately determine how this high stakes December clash unfolds.

For now, India only has one true 1:43:1 screen in Gujarat’s Science City and that one is not open for commercial use. As of 2025, India has 34 IMAX screens, but they all screen in the 1:90:1 format. And that status quo remains unchanged. In that case the tug of war will be an intense one. 

While “Avengers: Doomsday” and " Dune: Part Three” are set for a December 18, 2026 release, "King” will hit the big screen on December 24, 2026.