From Barbenheimer to Dunesday? Hollywood Eyes a New Box Office Showdown

First came Barbenheimer. Now Hollywood might be gearing up for Dunesday.

That’s the playful name Robert Downey Jr. and Timothée Chalamet are floating for what could be one of the biggest release-date clashes in recent movie history. Their upcoming films — Dune: Part Three and Avengers: Doomsday — are both set to hit theaters on December 18.

The idea was born this week in Los Angeles, where Downey Jr. and Chalamet appeared together on stage during a special screening of Chalamet’s A24 film Marty Supreme. Addressing the crowd, Downey Jr. joked that since both of their major releases land on the same day, they might as well embrace it.

“We’re thinking Dunesday,” he said, drawing laughs from the audience. He added with a grin, “We’ll see if we’re still friends by then.”

A Friendly Rivalry With Big Stakes

The thinking behind Dunesday is simple: two massive movies opening together can fuel excitement rather than cancel each other out. Fans pick sides, social media buzz explodes, and theaters benefit from packed auditoriums all weekend long.

That strategy famously worked in 2023 with Barbie and Oppenheimer, which turned an unlikely pairing into a cultural moment. Together, the films earned nearly $2.5 billion worldwide and proved that competition doesn’t always hurt the box office.

Since then, studios have tried to recreate that lightning in a bottle. Some pairings gained attention, like “Glicked,” which linked Wicked and Gladiator II, though none matched the scale or impact of Barbenheimer.

Proven Box Office Power

Both films behind Dunesday come with serious credentials. The Russo brothers’ previous Marvel entry, Avengers: Endgame, remains the second-highest-grossing movie of all time, pulling in $2.8 billion globally. Meanwhile, Dune: Part Two proved the franchise’s strength earlier this year with a worldwide total of $715 million.

With that kind of track record, the December 18 showdown could turn into more than a gimmick. If audiences embrace the idea, Dunesday may become the next must-watch movie event — one where fans don’t choose just one film, but make a full day of both.