Topline
Outage reports for AMC’s mobile app spiked Tuesday following the release of “Dune: Part Three” tickets, which created “crushing volume” on the company’s ticketing system, AMC chief Adam Aron said.
MANHATTAN, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES – 2025/09/08: Marquee at the entrance to AMC movie theater in Midtown Manhattan. (Photo by Erik McGregor/LightRocket via Getty Images)
LightRocket via Getty Images
Key Facts
Aron said in a statement the ticket demand “briefly slowed or glitched our online ticketing systems,” noting “extraordinarily high demand” for premium screenings like IMAX and for popular AMC locations.
Ticketing traffic on AMC’s website and mobile app was roughly triple that of what they experienced in the launch of “Spider-Man: Brand New Day,” the highest-grossing movie of 2026 so far.
AMC has previously received backlash for ticketing system disruptions experienced during the ticket releases for blockbusters such as “The Odyssey” and “Avengers: Doomsday.”
Outage reports for AMC briefly spiked following the ticket drop, with more than 1,000 reports being made on Downdetector, with most users reporting issues with the mobile app.
Some AMC app issues included not being able to launch the app alongside a “Failed to fetch” message and rate limit error messages, the latter of which means users have sent too many requests in a set amount of time.
Users on the AMC subreddit complained of receiving rate limit errors despite just entering the app and noted the app would crash immediately when trying to open it.
App conditions appeared to improve about an hour after the tickets were released.
Digital queue lines for the ticket release exceeded over an hour on Fandango’s website.
Tangent
Tickets for IMAX 70mm screenings of “Dune: Part Three” are being sold on eBay for $200 each on some listings. Similar listings were made following the ticket release of “The Odyssey,” with some sellers seeking up to $1,000.
Surprising Fact
“Dune: Part Three” is debuting in theaters the same weekend as “Avengers: Doomsday,” squaring both franchises up for a box office battle. Though there will be no shortage of screens showing “Doomsday,” it will miss out on domestic IMAX screens, which will be reserved for “Dune: Part Three” during its opening weeks. The third installment of the franchise is partially shot for IMAX formats.
Key Background
The “Dune” movie franchise has produced increasing box office returns with each installment, with “Dune” generating $410 million worldwide in 2021 and “Dune: Part Two” raking in $714 million worldwide in 2024. The third installment may very well exceed the box office performance of its predecessors, though it remains to be seen if its release alongside “Avengers: Doomsday” will help or hinder it. Fans have unofficially dubbed the movies’ release date as “Dunesday,” suggesting moviegoers will be getting tickets for a double feature. The simultaneous release of “Oppenheimer” and “Barbie” worked in favor of both movies in 2023, with the “Barbenheimer” phenomenon helping the biographical drama reach $975 million globally and the glitzy comedy bring in $1.4 billion.
Further Reading
Tickets For ‘The Odyssey’ Reach $1,000 On eBay After Ticket Sale Disruptions Hit AMC, Fandango (Forbes)