Dune: Part Three Sets a BFI IMAX Presale Record

Dune: Part Three has set a new first-day advance-sales record at London’s BFI IMAX, moving 33,000 tickets in 24 hours and generating more than £880,000 in presale revenue.

A new benchmark for the London screen

The result puts Denis Villeneuve’s science-fiction sequel ahead of Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey, which previously led the venue’s first-day ranking with £750,000. Dune: Part Two sits third at £366,000, followed by Oppenheimer at £254,000 and Avatar: Fire and Ash at £116,000.

Demand was already visible before the wider presale. Three opening-weekend screenings sold out in less than an hour in April, while two preview screenings sold out earlier in October. The BFI IMAX plans to present the new film on an IMAX 70mm print, a format closely associated with large-scale theatrical events.

The venue will also bring back Dune and Dune: Part Two beginning December 11, with the second film projected from an IMAX 70mm print. Preview screenings for Dune: Part Three are scheduled to begin December 15, ahead of the film’s wider December 18 release.

The Dune finale becomes an event before opening

Villeneuve’s third chapter moves the story forward by nearly two decades. Timothée Chalamet returns as Paul Atreides, with Zendaya back as Chani. The ensemble also includes Robert Pattinson, Florence Pugh, Jason Momoa, Anya Taylor-Joy, Javier Bardem and Josh Brolin.

The record is especially notable because the BFI IMAX recently experienced extraordinary demand for The Odyssey. Nolan’s film became the venue’s highest-grossing title, and its premium-format run demonstrated how strongly moviegoers will respond when a major release is presented as a limited theatrical occasion.

Advance sales do not guarantee a film’s total box-office performance, but 33,000 admissions at a single screen provide a clear early signal. For the BFI IMAX, the presale has already turned Dune: Part Three into its largest first-day ticket event yet.