‘Dune: Part Three’ Cast Joins the Ticket Push in a New Featurette as Seats Officially Go on Sale
Few big-screen franchises have made the case for the theatrical experience as forcefully as Denis Villeneuve’s ‘Dune‘ films. The first two movies earned a combined $1.12 billion at the global box office and won 8 Oscars, and both received Best Picture nominations. They have also become a favorite for audiences seeking out the biggest screens possible, with IMAX sequences built into both earlier installments.
That reputation is now driving an unusually aggressive ticketing campaign for the finale. ‘Dune: Part Three,’ which adapts Frank Herbert’s ‘Dune Messiah,’ is set 17 years after Paul Atreides took control of the Imperium, and Warner Bros. has spent months staging its ticket sales in waves. The film was shot partly with IMAX film cameras, and it has secured a three-week global IMAX exclusivity window.
Now the studio has turned to its stars to close the loop. A new 31-second video from the film’s official account carries the message that the cast wants fans to know that tickets are on sale now, as general pre-sales open worldwide for all formats and showtimes ahead of the December 18 release.
A message in the sand. Dune: Part Three only in theaters and IMAX December 18. Tickets on sale now around the world. https://t.co/2uVNytAMgG #DuneMovie https://t.co/ayKVO5nEMw
— DUNE (@dunemovie) October 20, 2026
It follows another recent promo in which Timothée Chalamet and Villeneuve urged fans to see the film in theaters, with the director stressing that these movies are made for audiences to enjoy together on the biggest screen possible.
The cast behind these messages is as stacked as any in the franchise. Chalamet returns as Paul and Zendaya as Chani, alongside Jason Momoa, Florence Pugh as Princess Irulan, Rebecca Ferguson as Lady Jessica, Javier Bardem as Stilgar, Anya Taylor-Joy as Alia and Charlotte Rampling. Robert Pattinson joins as the villainous Scytale, and newcomers Nakoa-Wolf Momoa and Ida Brooke play Paul and Chani’s children.
The push comes after a string of chaotic ticket drops. In August, a round of IMAX 70mm and premium format tickets caused websites and apps to crash, with lines forming outside AMC Lincoln Square in New York hours before sales began. AMC’s CEO said he was working to stop wannabe ticket brokers, and he later reported that traffic ran about triple what the chain saw at the launch of ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day.’
Today’s general sale brought a fresh wave. In the UK, thousands of fans joined virtual queues for the BFI IMAX, and one estimate put more than 76,000 people still waiting 20 minutes after sales began. The BFI has confirmed that more 70mm tickets will be released later this year.
The scarcity makes sense given how the movie was made. Villeneuve shot much of the film on 65mm film stock, with sequences captured on 15/70mm IMAX film and desert scenes filmed in IMAX Digital by cinematographer Linus Sandgren. The release is said to include 71 minutes in IMAX’s expanded 1.90:1 aspect ratio.
IMAX 70mm remains a tiny footprint because the prints and projectors don’t exist in large numbers, so demand will always outstrip supply for those showings. That is why the studio is trying to point fans toward other formats, with early Insider screenings on December 14 in IMAX 70mm, December 15 in other IMAX theaters and December 17 in premium large format.
“Forgive me for all I’ve done.” Experience the epic conclusion. Dune: Part Three only in theaters and IMAX December 18. #DuneMovie #FilmedforIMAX https://t.co/x9Nftg9yXd
— DUNE (@dunemovie) July 8, 2026
The film opens against ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ on December 18, a head-to-head that fans have nicknamed ‘Dunesday,’ and few analysts expect it to outgross the Marvel blockbuster. Even so, a strong advance on premium screens would give ‘Dune: Part Three’ a healthy foundation. Part Two alone grossed $32.2 million globally from IMAX screens in 2024.
Villeneuve has described this as the end of his work adapting Herbert’s universe, which adds a sense of occasion to the sales. If the lines and crashed apps are any indication, plenty of fans are planning to say goodbye to Arrakis in a theater.
Which format would you choose to experience Dune: Part Three?
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