丹尼斯·维伦纽瓦执导的《沙丘：第三部》预售票于周二开卖，引发影迷疯抢热潮。各大院线的应用程式和网站因流量暴增而出现当机，AMC影院门口甚至出现长长的排队人龙。这已是继《乘风破浪》和《蜘蛛人：崭新的一天》之后，短短数周内第三次出现抢票狂潮，观众对IMAX尤其是稀有的IMAX 70毫米格式趋之若鹜，全美仅有25家影院具备放映该格式的能力。
AMC影院执行长亚当·艾伦在社群平台上为技术问题公开致歉，表示《沙丘》开卖时的网站流量约为《蜘蛛人》的三倍，并宣布已批准两百万美元的资讯科技升级预算。Fandango和Regal影院的平台同样出现故障，却未回应媒体置评请求。影评人与影迷纷纷批评电影购票正走向「演唱会化」，技术障碍让原本的休闲活动变得令人疲惫不堪。
匹兹堡大学行为经济学教授王思婷指出，当消费者意识到他人也在竞争有限的票源时，其购票欲望反而会增强，抢到票更能向他人和自己证明「真正粉丝」的身份。至于解决方案，单纯提高票价虽能在理论上平衡供需，但院线担心流失能带来正面口碑的忠实观众。最可能的出路仍是各院线升级技术系统并设置防黄牛机制，在此之前，抢票大战恐怕仍将持续。
Denis Villeneuve's Dune: Part Three triggered a frenzy on its first day of ticket presales, crashing theater apps and driving long physical queues at venues like AMC Lincoln Square. This marked the third such rush in recent weeks, following intense demand for The Odyssey and Spider-Man: Brand New Day. The scarcity of IMAX and IMAX 70mm screens—only 25 US theaters can show films in the latter format—has fueled a competitive mindset, with resellers attempting to flip tickets for hundreds of dollars.
AMC CEO Adam Aron publicly apologized for the technical failures, revealing that traffic was roughly triple what they experienced during the Spider-Man launch, and announced a two-million-dollar IT investment to address the problem. Fandango and Regal also faced complaints but did not comment. Film critics and devoted fans alike lamented the 'concertification' of moviegoing, arguing that theater owners must not pile technical frustration onto an entertainment experience already struggling to retain audiences in the post-pandemic era.
Behavioral economist Stephanie Wang noted that exclusion and scarcity can paradoxically intensify demand, as consumers bid higher when others are shut out, and enduring hardship to secure a ticket reinforces one's identity as a devoted fan. While raising prices could theoretically curb the resale market, theaters risk alienating enthusiastic audiences whose positive word-of-mouth is commercially valuable. The most practical path forward likely involves technological upgrades and anti-scalping safeguards, though until those measures are in place, the scramble for premium seats shows no sign of abating.