Jack Black Crashes the ‘Dunesday’ Party With a Cheeky New Nickname for ‘Jumanji: Open World’

Every holiday season has its box office battle, but this year’s December pile-up has an unofficial name that fans can’t stop repeating. ‘Dunesday’ has become shorthand for the showdown between ‘Avengers: Doomsday‘ and ‘Dune: Part Three’, and it has dominated moviegoing conversation for months.

Naturally, the studios hoping to survive the crush are looking for ways to join the party. Sony’s ‘Jumanji: Open World‘ is landing right in the middle of the blockbuster traffic, and the franchise’s biggest comedic presence has now decided to take matters into his own hands.

In a short video clip, Jack Black responds to a fan comment saying there was no way audiences would get a certain mashup. Black plays along, declaring that there is no ‘Dunesday’ and that the holiday season will instead belong to ‘Doomanji’.

The word blends ‘Doomsday’ with ‘Jumanji’, and it is Black’s playful attempt to put his franchise into a conversation that was never meant to include it. The clip runs about 33 seconds, and the actor delivers the joke in a safari-style explorer outfit.

The nickname was coined by ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ star Robert Downey Jr. and ‘Dune: Part Three’ star Timothée Chalamet, who joked about the shared opening date while introducing a screening of ‘Marty Supreme’. Both films open on December 18, and the pair floated ‘Dunesday’ as a riff on the ‘Barbenheimer’ phenomenon that saw ‘Barbie’ and ‘Oppenheimer’ open together in July 2023.

Jack Black says there’s no ‘Dunesday’. “It’s gonna be ‘Doomanji.’” https://t.co/xpgsUydtRe

— The Hollywood Handle (@HollywoodHandle) November 5, 2026

The Marvel film is the first ‘Avengers’ movie since 2019, while ‘Dune: Part Three’ is expected to conclude Denis Villeneuve’s trilogy and adapts the novel ‘Dune Messiah’. Both studios have shown no interest in blinking, even as analysts and fans have repeatedly urged one of them to move.

Our world. New rules. One final game. Watch the new trailer for #Jumanji: Open World – exclusively in theatres this Christmas. https://t.co/fI0UAAlgqE

— Jumanji Movie (@jumanjimovie) October 28, 2026

Sony originally dated its threequel for December 11, 1 week before the big face-off. In March, the studio moved the film to Christmas Day, shifting it from 1 week before the 2 blockbusters to 1 week after them.

That change makes Black’s ‘Doomanji’ pitch a little more complicated. As Variety noted, the film now arrives just after the December 18 debuts, which means it technically opens on a different day entirely. Some fans pushed back on the video, with a number of reactions suggesting the studio should delay the movie or that it was desperate to squeeze in.

The film itself reunites Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart, Black and Karen Gillan as the video game avatars, and it is billed as the 3rd and final entry in the reboot trilogy. Directed by Jake Kasdan, it follows 2017’s ‘Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle’ and 2019’s ‘Jumanji: The Next Level’, which grossed $962 million and $801 million worldwide respectively.

He used to be different. Avengers: Doomsday arrives in theaters everywhere December 18. Get your tickets now: https://t.co/J5PUbxvAkc https://t.co/OUutSMZneq

— Marvel Studios (@MarvelStudios) August 15, 2026

Despite the skeptical reactions, betting against the franchise is a risky move. Both recent sequels cleared $800 million globally, and the series has a proven record of thriving in the December window.

The bigger concern is screens. ‘Dune: Part Three’ has secured an exclusive IMAX window for its opening weekend, which leaves ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ with only select international markets for IMAX screenings. Theaters were also expected to book heavily for both ‘Dunesday’ films, which could squeeze ‘Jumanji’ once its opening weekend passes.

Some observers have already pegged the family adventure as the potential collateral damage of the clash. Still, family audiences often look for something lighter over the holidays, and Black has built a reputation as a reliable crowd-pleaser for parents and kids alike.

The video also shows how much movie marketing now depends on internet language. A fan nickname turned into a studio-adjacent talking point in a matter of months, and now even a rival franchise wants to borrow it.

Whether ‘Doomanji’ sticks remains to be seen, but a catchy label is exactly the kind of free promotion that can help a movie stand out in a crowded season. With the December rush just weeks away, ‘Jumanji: Open World’ clearly intends to fight for every bit of attention it can get.

Have something to add? Let us know in the comments!