Some fans of the "Dune" franchise had to duke it out like Paul Atreides to snag tickets during AMC's latest ticket launch.
In an X post, AMC CEO Adam Aron said high demand for "Dune: Part Three" temporarily slowed or "glitched" its online ticketing system on Tuesday.
"Ticketing traffic across AMC's website and mobile app reached levels approximately three times higher than what we experienced during the Spider-Man: Brand New Day ticket launch, which itself followed strong advance sales for The Odyssey ticket launch before that," Aron said.
Aron said the ticket issues plaguing customers were "intolerable and inexcusable."
"There was much discussion internally ahead of and preparing for the Dune 3 launch. We thought we were ready, but we weren't," he said.
We try so hard to be expert in what we usually do so well, devoted as we are to pleasing hundreds of millions of guests in our theatres each year.
Today, though, as Dune 3 tickets went on sale, the crushing volumes briefly slowed or glitched our online ticketing systems.…
In response, Aron said AMC has instructed its IT team to "move at a whirlwind speed to take whatever steps are needed so that our ticketing systems are — in all situations and in all quantities —again top shelf."
AMC initially released a small batch of tickets for "Dune: Part Three" in April, which quickly sold out, disappointing many fans. Tuesday marked AMC's second ticket drop for coveted IMAX 70mm screenings and other premium large formats.
AMC experienced similar fan hysteria earlier this year for "The Odyssey," which debuted in theaters this July and also had a staggered ticket release. Fans of the Greek epic rushed online ticket drops, causing platform crashes, while resellers hawked tickets for as much as $600.
Now "Dune: Part Three" is whipping up similar hype among fans, some of whom camped outside theaters on Tuesday. Business Insider's Juliana Kaplan reported that fans began forming a line at New York City's AMC Lincoln Square 13 around midnight, and the queue stretched around the block. The Lincoln Square theater is home to the largest IMAX in the country and shows films in 70mm, making it one of the most in-demand theater experiences of the summer.
Some of those waiting in line for "Dune: Part Three" were likely resellers. Tickets almost immediately landed on eBay, where they were going for outrageous prices. One listing on Wednesday morning was selling IMAX 70MM tickets for $600.
Ticket resellers are major players in the entertainment and events industries, despite pushback from artists, studios, and the US government. They've caused ticketing drama for high-profile events like the 2026 World Cup and concerts for Taylor Swift's "The Eras Tour."
Timothée Chalamet is reprising his role as Atreides in "Dune: Part Three," which explores the consequences of his reign after he took power of the empire. Zendaya, Florence Pugh, Robert Pattinson, Jason Momoa, Javier Bardem, and Anya Taylor-Joy are among its star-studded cast.
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Lauren Edmonds is an award-winning reporter on the Business News team. When news isn't breaking, she covers personal finance, kitchen-table economics, and paths to financial freedom, including investing, real estate, side hustles, and small business. She also writes about guaranteed and universal basic income programs in the United States.Lauren has also covered lifestyle and entertainment, digital culture, and more. She has a master's degree from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism and resides in New York City.Do you have an interesting story to tell? You can reach Lauren at [email protected] or on Signal at ledmonds0.07.Popular StoriesNetflix wants to be Disney when it grows up Why Hollywood is paying this 17-year-old up to $20,000 to boost film trailers with TikTok editsHere's all the free money Trump's talked about giving Americans during his second term — and where it all standsA 17-year-old earned $72,000 after investing his e-commerce profits into stocks. Here's why he bet on the tech industry.Lawmakers float a nationwide basic income experiment that would cover the cost of a 2-bedroom apartmentNearly 30,000 Americans have received about $335 million in basic income. Here are 5 takeaways. Americans ditch suffocating healthcare costs and divisive politics to retire in Italy: 'It's the way they approach life'From 'road-schooling' to gas that costs $500, this family of 4 shares what it's like living in a solar-powered Greyhound bus
