BFI Imax, the UK’s largest screen, has sold 33,000 advance tickets for Dune: Part Three in 24 hours, breaking first-day presale records for the venue with a total gross of more than £880,000 ($988,000).
This follows three opening-weekend screenings that had previously sold out in under an hour last April, and two previews that also sold out earlier this month. The BFI, which will show the film in Imax 70mm, saw unprecedented demand this summer for Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey, which was sold out for months at the screen. Dune, which releases in December, could be on course for similar success.
The top five BFI Imax first-day advance presale rankings are:
1. DUNE: PART THREE (Denis Villeneuve, 2026) – £880,000
2. THE ODYSSEY (Christopher Nolan, 2026) – £750,000
3. DUNE: PART TWO (Denis Villeneuve, 2024) – £366,000
4. OPPENHEIMER (Christopher Nolan, 2023) – £254,000
5. AVATAR: FIRE AND ASH (James Cameron, 2025) – £116,000
The BFI screen will show Dune (2021) and Dune: Part Two (2024), the latter projected from an Imax 70mm print, when both return to the UK’s largest screen from December 11. Preview screenings of Dune: Part Three begin at BFI Imax in Imax 70mm beginning December 15.
Set nearly two decades after the previous instalment, Denis Villeneuve’s latest chapter in the space saga starring Timothée Chalamet and Zendaya sees “Paul Atreides face the consequences of his reign as old allies return, terrifying new threats emerge, and betrayal lurks in every shadow. Haunted by visions of Imperial collapse and the reappearance of Chani, Paul is drawn into a sweeping conspiracy, with his long-lost love at the heart of its unfolding mystery. When enemies close in, Paul must confront the true cost of power and the fate of those he loves the most.”
Dune Part: Two (2024) grossed $714 million across its run. The Odyssey this year took a whopping $1.8 billion, with a large chunk coming from PLF screens. By mid August alone, the BFI Imax had sold more than 100,000 admissions for the movie, generating £2,683,987 gross in ticket sales from a single screen and achieving a 95% occupancy rate across all showtimes at the time – making it the cinema’s highest-grossing film ever.