‘Dune: Part Three’ Pre-Sales Cause Havoc in the UK as Vue Adds More Premium Screenings to Keep Up With Demand
Event movies don’t usually get this kind of reception 2 months before opening. Cinemagoers have been queuing online, apps have been buckling and exhibitors have been scrambling to find room in their schedules. Denis Villeneuve’s final ‘Dune’ chapter is turning ticket sales into a spectator sport.
The frenzy has been building since the first batches of premium-format tickets went on sale last year. Those earlier waves sold out in minutes, and a third round in August led to crashed apps and hour-long digital queues. Now the wider public is joining in.
‘Dune: Part Three‘ pre-sales are causing havoc at the UK box office, with British chain Vue announcing more screenings in its EPIC Premium auditoriums because of overwhelming demand. The film debuts in the UK on December 18, with previews starting December 15. Exhibitors are clearly trying to keep up with a rush that shows no sign of slowing.
It’s hereeee!!! #DunePartThree’s pre-sales causing havoc at the UK #BoxOffice, with exhibitors running trying to keep up, as British chain #VUE announced more screenings at their EPIC Premium auditoriums being added due to insane demand. #Dune3 debuts in the UK on DEC 18, with previews starting from DEC 15. https://t.co/HSsVJRsU00
— Luiz Fernando (@Luiz_Fernando_J) October 23, 2026
The clearest evidence of that demand came from BFI IMAX in London, the UK’s largest screen. It sold 33,000 advance tickets in 24 hours, a first-day presale record for the venue, with a gross of more than £880,000, or about $988,000. That total beat the previous record holder, Christopher Nolan’s ‘The Odyssey.’
The record follows a string of sellouts. Three opening-weekend screenings sold out in under an hour in April, and 2 previews sold out earlier this month after more than 100,000 people reportedly joined the online queue. The venue will show the film in IMAX 70mm, with previews beginning December 15 and revivals of ‘Dune’ and ‘Dune: Part Two’ returning from December 11.
General pre-sales opened worldwide on October 20 for all formats and showtimes, and thousands of UK fans joined virtual queues that morning. One estimate put more than 76,000 people still waiting 20 minutes after sales began. The IMAX 70mm release is limited to 3 UK cinemas: BFI IMAX, the Ronson Theatre at the Science Museum and Vue Manchester Printworks.
That scarcity explains the scramble. Cineworld and Odeon had already added extra IMAX and premium large-format screenings for December 15 after early tickets proved more popular than expected, and Odeon opened another session at one of its Dolby locations in London’s West End. Vue’s latest additions continue that pattern.
Demand has created a thriving resale market. One seller reportedly listed a single ticket for a Cinemark screening in Dallas for $1,000 on eBay, and IMAX 70mm seats have been listed for $200 apiece. Premium sales in the US have also been chaotic, with AMC’s app reportedly buckling under the load.
Those stories reflect the limited supply of 70mm screens. With only a few dozen 70mm auditoriums in the US running 1 show per day, almost any event film would sell out. The question is how the appetite carries over to standard screens.
All of this is happening against a backdrop of fierce competition. ‘Dune: Part Three’ opens in North America on December 18 and internationally beginning December 16, the same weekend as Marvel’s ‘Avengers: Doomsday.’ Fans have nicknamed the clash ‘Dunesday.’
Warner Bros. has locked up the entire IMAX footprint for 3 weeks, which prompted Disney to create its own Infinity Vision certification for premium screens. ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ has posted enormous presale numbers of its own, reportedly pulling in $16.5 million in the first 24 hours and passing $50 million in presales 3 months before release.
“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 is based on Frank Herbert’s ‘Dune Messiah’ and is set nearly 2 decades after Paul Atreides seized control of the Imperium. Timothée Chalamet and Zendaya return, and the film has already released its first soundtrack single, ‘Desert Chant,’ led by Chalamet. Villeneuve has described the movie as more action-packed and tense than his other films.
That combination of scale, format and cultural momentum helps explain the frenzy. A trilogy-closing film shot for IMAX is exactly the kind of release that rewards seeing it on the biggest screen possible.
The earlier surge in demand hasn’t yet been tested against ordinary multiplex tickets, and opening-weekend grosses are still weeks away. But the signs are strong, and more added screenings seem likely as December approaches.
Which movie are you most excited to see during the 'Dunesday' showdown on December 18?
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