How Dune: Part Three’s IMAX 70mm Release Turns Limited Screens Into a Holiday Event
Dune: Part Three is scheduled to open in cinemas and IMAX on December 18, 2026. The film, directed by Denis Villeneuve and based on Frank Herbert’s Dune Messiah, is being positioned as the final chapter of Villeneuve’s Dune trilogy. Legendary lists Warner Bros. as the distributor and confirms the December release date.
Why 70mm matters for this film
“IMAX 70mm” refers to a presentation using large-format film, not simply a larger digital screen. In compatible theatres, the film runs through a 15-perforation, 70mm print projected onto a large-format screen. That combination can produce a bright, detailed image with a distinctive film texture, although the result depends on the theatre’s projector, screen, print and maintenance.
The format is also scarce. Most cinemas cannot show IMAX 70mm because they lack the specialized projector, the correct auditorium geometry or the infrastructure needed to handle large film prints. That scarcity turns a technical format into a limited theatrical attraction.
IMAX says Dune: Part Three was shot with IMAX film cameras and will be presented in IMAX 70mm film. The company has also described the movie as one of the titles anchoring its 2026 slate. The format is therefore part of the film’s production and distribution plan, rather than an after-the-fact conversion designed only for premium ticket sales.
Canada gets a small number of screens
IMAX’s published list names two Canadian locations for the first 70mm screenings: Cineplex Cinemas Vaughan in Ontario and Cineplex Cinemas Langley in British Columbia. The company warns that qualifying showtimes and availability can vary, so theatre listings remain the final authority for local schedules.
That limited footprint creates a practical divide between the film’s regular theatrical release and its most specialized presentation. Audiences outside those venues may still see Dune: Part Three in standard IMAX, IMAX with Laser or another premium format, but those presentations are not automatically equivalent to 70mm film.
The business logic behind the spectacle
A scarce format can extend a blockbuster’s event value beyond opening night. Early ticket sales, collectible promotions and tightly controlled showtimes give exhibitors a way to charge premium prices while encouraging audiences to plan months ahead. For studios, the strategy concentrates the most valuable presentation in rooms designed to sell out repeatedly.
IMAX reported that Dune: Part Three sold out some auditoriums far in advance of release. That does not predict the film’s total box office, but it shows how premium-format demand can become an important part of a holiday release strategy.
The larger question is whether the model can expand. More 70mm prints and additional equipped theatres could reach more customers, but manufacturing and shipping those prints is expensive, and projection capacity remains limited. For now, the restriction is part of the appeal: Dune: Part Three is being sold not only as a new chapter in a major science-fiction story, but as a specific kind of cinema experience that few screens can provide.