Dune releases new trailer as it gears up for box office battle with Avengers

Timothée Chalamet and Zendaya have been seen in the first trailer for Dune: Part Three, the final instalment of the sci-fi trilogy expected to be one of the biggest blockbusters of 2026.

The forthcoming film will take place 17 years after the events of Dune: Part Two and follow the consequences of Paul Atreides' rise as galactic emperor.

Bloody battles and scenes of intergalactic war feature in the first trailer for Denis Villeneuve's film, which is set to hit cinemas on 18 December.

But there is another potential battle looming at the box office - the film's release date is currently the same as the much-anticipated Avengers: Doomsday.

The forthcoming Marvel movie will serve as a sequel to Avengers: Endgame and see Robert Downey Jr. return as Doctor Doom and Chris Evans as Steve Rogers.

Every previous film in the Avengers series has made at least $1bn (£750m) at the box office worldwide, and rival studios would usually try to avoid releasing a film at the same time.

Disney had originally scheduled Avengers: Doomsday to be released in May, before it was delayed to December to allow more time for production. Film fans have already dubbed the forthcoming box office battle "Dunesday".

However, a lot can happen between now and December - and one of the films could still be moved to a different release date.

Warner Bros have released the Dune: Part Three trailer just days after the Oscars, where the film company had a triumphant night as the studio behind two of the big winners - Sinners and One Battle After Another.

Releasing the Dune trailer is a show of strength for the studio and a way of keeping its momentum going, at a time when the shape of the company's future is uncertain.

Warner Bros is due to be acquired by Paramount in a deal worth around $111bn (£82.2bn), after streaming service Netflix backed away from its proposal to buy the studio.

The first Dune film, released in 2021, made $402m (£301m) at the box office worldwide, while 2024's Dune: Part Two fared even better, making $714m (£535m).

The next film will be the final part of the trilogy, and is based on the science-fiction writer Frank Herbert's novel Dune Messiah.

What happens in the Dune: Part Three trailer?

The dramatic, war-ridden trailer opens with Paul Atreides (Chalamet) in an embrace with his partner Chani (Zendaya).

The pair discuss what they would call their baby if they have a girl. Atreides says he would call their daughter Ghanima, which is a name native to the fictional Fremen people in the film, meaning "spoils of war".

Chani then says if the pair have a boy, she would name him Leto "so that he would have the wisdom of his grandfather".

The trailer then shows a glimpse of a baby's head, before cutting to Atreides in body armour and wielding a sword while his voice can be heard saying: "War feeds on itself."

Chanting can then be heard in the background as clips show Princess Irulan removing the hood of her cloak.

As the chanting grows louder, the trailer leads into scenes of violence and fighting and Chalamet's voice whispers: "I'm doing the best I can to protect my family."

The chanting stops and cuts back to Atreides speaking to his mother Lady Jessica, and he asks: "How did father do it?"

She responds: "Your father never started a war."

Who else stars in Dune: Part Three?

The trailer also shows a glimpse of The Queen's Gambit star Anya Taylor-Joy, who will be joining the star-studded cast as Atreides' sister Alia.

Game of Thrones actor Jason Momoa is also seen in the trailer at the centre of the action, during a fight scene, as Hayt, a resurrection of his character Duncan Idaho who died in the first film.

Skyfall star Javier Bardem will also reprise his role as Stilgar, the leader of the Sietch Tabr, a prominent Fremen community on the desert planet Arrakis.

Rebecca Ferguson returns as Atreides' mother, Lady Jessica, who is seen in conversation with Chalamet in the trailer, while British actress Florence Pugh reprises her role as Princess Irulan.

Another clip shows Robert Pattinson sporting a platinum blond buzzcut and staring menacingly in his role as Scytale, who is a new addition to the films and is described as wanting to dethrone Atreides.

Towards the end of the new trailer, Chalamet's character climbs to the top of a plinth in front of a crowd, and in a voiceover he says: "I'm not afraid to die. But I must not die, yet."

The trailer ends with a dramatic clip of Chani running towards an unseen adversary, before fading to black.

In between clips, text on screen reads: "This December, experience the epic conclusion of the Dune trilogy."