Denis Villeneuve’s Dune: Part Three has already made box-office history, nearly two months before its theatrical release. The highly anticipated sci-fi epic has sold 33,000 advance tickets within 24 hours at London’s BFI IMAX, breaking the venue’s first-day presale record previously held by Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey.
According to figures announced on October 21, 2026, the film generated more than £880,000 in advance ticket revenue at the UK’s largest cinema screen, surpassing the £750,000 recorded by Nolan’s blockbuster.
The achievement highlights the growing appetite for premium cinematic experiences, particularly films presented in IMAX 70mm.
Dune: Part Three Beats The Odyssey and Oppenheimer
The latest figures place Villeneuve’s upcoming film comfortably ahead of several major Hollywood releases in the BFI IMAX’s first-day advance booking rankings.
The Odyssey previously led with £750,000, followed by Dune: Part Two (£366,000), Oppenheimer (£254,000) and Avatar: Fire and Ash (£116,000).
Dune: Part Three has exceeded The Odyssey’s previous record by at least £130,000, an increase of approximately 17%.
Importantly, these numbers represent advance ticket sales at one London cinema, not worldwide bookings or opening-day box-office collections.
Demand was already evident earlier this year when three opening-weekend screenings sold out in less than an hour in April. Two additional preview screenings also sold out earlier in October.
BFI IMAX Confirms Special 70mm Screenings
The BFI will present Dune: Part Three in IMAX 70mm, continuing its support for large-format film projection.
Special preview screenings begin on December 15, 2026, ahead of the film’s general theatrical release on December 18.
Fans can also revisit Dune (2021) and Dune: Part Two (2024) at the venue beginning December 11.
The extraordinary advance demand suggests that audiences increasingly regard select IMAX screenings as major cinematic events rather than ordinary moviegoing experiences.
What Is Dune: Part Three About?
Inspired by Frank Herbert’s Dune Messiah, the concluding chapter of Villeneuve’s trilogy follows Paul Atreides as he faces the devastating consequences of his rule.
Timothée Chalamet returns as Paul, alongside Zendaya as Chani, with Florence Pugh, Jason Momoa, Javier Bardem and Rebecca Ferguson also appearing.
Set more than a decade after Dune: Part Two, the story explores political resistance, betrayal and the immense human cost of Paul’s rise to power.
While the presale record signals exceptional enthusiasm, it does not guarantee a larger worldwide box-office performance than The Odyssey.
Nevertheless, Villeneuve has already surpassed Nolan in one significant IMAX milestone, setting the stage for a highly anticipated December release.
