Denis Villeneuve’s “Dune Messiah” is not—repeat, not—going full Imax for every single frame, no matter what Imax boss Rich Gelfond accidentally blurted out on CNBC this week.
Here’s the scene: Gelfond popped up on “Squawk on the Street,” and they grilled him about Villeneuve maybe jumping to direct the next James Bond flick after he wraps up his sandworm saga.
The Dune: Part Three Is Not Being Fully Shot In IMAX
Gelfond fangirled out, saying Villeneuve’s an Imax guy through and through, and then—oops—claimed, “He’s filming the whole thing with Imax cameras.”
But hold up. An Imax rep immediately told TheWrap, “Yeah, he misspoke. Dune 3 isn’t going all-in on Imax cameras.”
They’ll use ‘em, sure, but just for those jaw-dropping scenes where you want the audience to feel like they’re about to fall into a spice pit. That’s the usual drill. These cameras are beasts—huge and pricey.
How Did The Internet React?
‘DUNE: PART 3’ will have sequences shot with IMAX cameras.
The full film will not be shot in IMAX despite recent comments from IMAX’s CEO. pic.twitter.com/Mp0duVmdlk
— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) July 8, 2025
We got any estimates how much of it will be in IMAX? I think Odyssey is supposed to be fully IMAX like most of Nolan movies, wonder what’s stopping them with Dune’s big finale.
— Imaginary Kaiju2020 (@sikander69) July 8, 2025
IMO if you can’t see this in IMAX you don’t deserve to see it at all
— Untamed Adam 🐺 (@adamagb) July 8, 2025
They should have shot the whole thing with IMAX
— Ignition Casino (@IgnitionCasino) July 8, 2025
not every sci-fi needs to be stretched into IMAX just to feel relevant and Dune was always about depth, not just screen size
— domiii☆ (@chihiroloverr) July 8, 2025
Is Christopher Nolan Filming The Odyssey In IMAX?
Take Ryan Coogler’s “Sinners” as a recent example: they mixed it up, going Imax 70mm for the big showpieces, but otherwise stuck to Ultra Panavision 70mm. It’s a vibe—a really expensive, heavy vibe.
Now, Christopher Nolan? He’s wild. For “The Odyssey” (coming in 2026 if the universe allows), he’s shooting literally everything in Imax because the new cameras are lighter now. Maybe he wants a challenge, maybe he just hates his crew’s backs, who knows.
Villeneuve, though? He’s sticking with the classic approach for “Dune Messiah.” Just the epic bits. Maybe next time he’ll go full Nolan, but honestly, who can say? Hollywood loves a trend.
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