Where Will Avengers and Dune Play in North Naples This December?

Two of the season's biggest films open on the same Friday. Disney lists Avengers: Doomsday for December 18, 2026, and Warner Bros. lists Dune: Part Three for North American theaters that same day. For anyone driving out from Imperial Golf Estates that week, the 11 screens on Mercato's second floor won't be showing either one.

Alamo Drafthouse Cinema closed its Mercato location on Sept. 9. Paragon Theaters has signed on to run the space and is expected to open in early 2027. That leaves Paragon's other North Naples cinema, across U.S. 41 at The Pavilion, 833 Vanderbilt Beach Road, as its screen in the area this December. The Pavilion is heading into the holidays with all ten screens running, and by Paragon's own plan, this is likely the last holiday season it will have that many.

The Seats Set the Calendar

Paragon wanted Mercato open by December 18. Co-CEO and co-owner Michael Whalen told Naples Press columnist Tim Aten in September that the goal was to reopen the 11 screens in time for the Avengers and Dune sequels. Back then, no tenant agreement had been signed. In a later Naples Press column, Whalen explained that the seats were holding up the date.

"I may not be able to get those seats procured and manufactured in time for the 18th, so I don't want to open it without Lux Box, the biggest feature we have. So, if the seats are delayed, which it looks like they are, it's probably a beginning of January event now — but I'm still trying to shoot for the 18th."

Then the lease became official. Mercato's leasing agent announced on Oct. 21 that Paragon will run an 11-screen cinema in the 33,700-square-foot second-floor space that Alamo Drafthouse and Silverspot used before it, Naples Press reported. The expected opening is now early 2027. Whalen had already said he would not open without the Lux Box seats in place.

That decision says a lot about what the Mercato cinema will be once it opens.

What the Second Floor Is Being Built Toward

The Mercato plan is the Pavilion experience with more of the premium features added. In the lease announcement, Paragon listed heated Lux Box recliners with full table service, and food from MyPi Pizza, its in-house pizza concept, which makes its dough fresh every day. A full bar will serve craft cocktails, wine and beer. Two auditoriums will use Paragon's Axis15 Extreme large-format screens. There will also be a Director's Room, a private theater people can rent for screenings, sports viewing parties and other gatherings.

The two venues side by side:

According to Paragon, Axis15 screens are tilted at 15 degrees so they're comfortable to watch from a reclined seat. They are paired with 4K laser projection and Dolby Atmos sound. Ticket prices at Mercato will match Paragon's nearby locations, including the $5 Ticket Tuesdays promotion. Once Mercato opens, then, picking between the two sides of U.S. 41 will come down to the room and the seat, not the cost of a ticket.

Paragon has also hosted big community screenings at the Pavilion. The Naples International Film Festival ran there Oct. 23 to 25, and Whalen said next year's festival could be held at either Mercato or The Pavilion.

Ten Screens at The Pavilion, for One More Season

Because it is taking over Mercato, Paragon plans to close four of the Pavilion's ten screens. Whalen's goal is 11 screens at Mercato and six at The Pavilion, for 17 in total. "We think that's the sweet spot," he told Naples Press. Until then, he said all ten would keep running through the holidays.

The four screens set to close are in a separate 9,850-square-foot freestanding building at the back of the Pavilion's northwest corner. A hallway near the bar connects it to the main theater. The site has changed shape before. Whalen described the sequence like this:

1. The whole site was built as a 10-screen theater.
2. It was cut to a six-plex, and Tuesday Morning, the discount home goods retailer, took the remaining space.
3. Paragon leased the six screens from Equity One, before Regency Centers owned the center.
4. When the Tuesday Morning space opened up, Paragon turned it back into screens, bringing the total to ten again.

The next step for that rear building is open. Andrew Pressler, a leasing agent for Regency Centers, told Naples Press the center has the option to take back the former Tuesday Morning space and lease it to another tenant, though nothing was "fleshed out completely 100%." Whalen mentioned interest from an indoor soccer operator and from the cycle shop already in the center, which might use it for extra inventory space. He also raised a use of his own, about six golf simulators linked through the existing hallway to the theater's kitchen and bar. His argument was that a kitchen, bar and restrooms are already there, so adding simulators would cost Paragon much less than it would cost a newcomer to build them from nothing.

For a golf community, that is an interesting idea for a building that has shown movies for most of its life. It is still only one of several options. What is settled is the near term. December 18 falls while the Pavilion still plans to run all ten of its screens.

Planning December 18 From Imperial Golf Estates

The Pavilion is the only Paragon cinema in North Naples that will be showing films this December, and its regular schedule was running into the second week of November. Paragon's Pavilion showtimes page listed performances for Nov. 7 through Nov. 10, including luxury-recliner auditoriums. Paragon also runs the Pavilion's food and drink menu. It lists MyPi Pizza along with beer, wine and spirits, so dinner and the film can happen in the same seat.

If you're planning a daytime outing before a matinee, the same shopping center has a newer bakery. Sour & Dough Artisan Bakery opened in September at 893 Vanderbilt Beach Road, Unit 58, inside The Pavilion.

A few dates to keep in mind:

• Friday, Dec. 18: Avengers: Doomsday and Dune: Part Three open in theaters.
• Through the holidays: The Pavilion keeps all ten screens running, according to Whalen.
• Early 2027: Paragon's expected opening at Mercato, with Lux Box seating, two Axis15 Extreme auditoriums and the Director's Room.

Paragon is hiring for several positions at Mercato. Jamestown, the company that leases and manages Mercato, has said entertainment remains an important part of its vision for the property. This holiday season, though, Paragon's open screens in North Naples are on the Pavilion side of U.S. 41.

If family is visiting this December and you want help planning their stay, from where to watch the season's big films to the North Naples places worth sharing, Gulf Coast Luxury Group is glad to share what we know. Schedule a Private Concierge Consultation, and we'll help you plan the season around your gate.