Imax has responded to Disney’s Infinity Vision unveiling, and dismissed the rival large theater format as simply an Avengers: Doomsday “marketing play” meant to distract from Dune 3’s simultaneous, Imax-backed launch.
Both Avengers: Doomsday and Dune 3 will launch on the same day later this year — December 18, henceforth known as “Dunesday” — in what promises to be the box office battle of the year.
Never mind Steve Rogers versus Doctor Doom — movie industry watchers are fascinated to see how Avengers: Doomsday performs when launched up against the Timothée Chalamet trilogy closer, which has the country’s Imax screens locked up for three weeks in a major exclusive.
Some had expected either Disney or Warner Bros. to blink and move the date of their big blockbuster — with either Dune 3 or Doomsday expected to move so that Imax screens could be shared over the course of each film’s opening month.
Instead, during April’s CinemaCon 2026 industry event, Disney fired off a notable salvo by announcing Infinity Vision — effectively digging in its heels into the Dunesday date and making it clear it would go it alone without Imax.
While not a proper rival to Imax in the traditional sense, Infinity Vision appears to be Disney’s attempt at labelling other, non-Imax premium large format theaters as good enough. As Disney described it, Infinity Vision-branded screens will be those it judges to provide the “biggest, brightest, and most immersive cinematic experiences.”
“These will be theaters with the largest screens for maximum scale, laser projection for superior brightness and clarity, and premium audio formats for fully immersive sound,” Disney said. The format will rollout first with the September 25 re-release of Avengers: Endgame, before Avengers: Doomsday arrives in December.
Not everyone has been convinced by Disney’s announcement, however — not least Imax itself.
“From our view, we feel it’s a marketing play to try and offset the fact that they don’t have an Imax platform or brand for Avengers: Doomsday,” Imax chief financial officer Natasha Fernandes said in a call with investors, via The Hollywood Reporter.
“[Marvel fans are] among the savvy and most discerning moviegoers out there,” Fernandes continued, suggesting that audiences will be able to tell the difference. “And there’s a reason why we’re the undisputed leader in premium cinema worldwide.”
How will Infinity Vision go down with audiences keen to see Doomsday on the biggest screens possible? We’ll find out later this year, on Dunesday.
Photo by VALERIE MACON / AFP via Getty Images.
Tom Phillips is IGN’s News Editor. You can reach Tom at [email protected] or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social
