'Dune 2' Was Shot Entirely In IMAX

Timothée Chalamet (left) & Rebecca Ferguson in Dune. Courtesy of Warner Bros. Discovery.

A sad fact as of late is that true IMAX is dying. While many of the movie theaters near you may advertise screening films in IMAX, that generally means showing them in an expanded 1.85 or 1.90:1 aspect ratio, as opposed to the standard anamorphic (2.39:1) ratio used by most films. During the Warner Bros. presentation at this year’s CinemaCon, director Denis Villeneuve took to the stage with the film’s stars, Zendaya and Timothée Chalamet, to promote the upcoming sequel. During the film’s segment, Villeneuve made it clear that Dune: Part Two was shot entirely using 1.43:1 ARRI Alexa IMAX-certified cameras and will be screened in that format when possible.

A graphic released for Dune (2021) depicts the difference between standard (2.39:1) and IMAX (1.43:1) to promote seeing the film in the latter format.

For reference, the graphic on the right (or below) shows the difference seeing the film in IMAX makes, with the format adding up to 40% more picture to the film. To put this into context, roughly 40% of the 2021 film was shot in full IMAX, with few films ever being shot entirely in the expanded format. When discussing this at the CinemaCon panel, Villeneuve said,

Definitely. [Cinematographer] Greig Fraser and I, we fell in love with this format, and definitely there be — probably more — IMAX footage in this movie.

Seeing the film in this format is not easy, with very few theaters capable of projecting true 15/70 IMAX. Ahead of the first film’s release, IMAX put out a list of venues where Dune could be watched like this, which can be read here. That said, theaters have been rapidly getting rid of 15/70 capabilities in favor of digital projection, so it’s best to check with your local IMAX theater to see if they can currently play films like this.

Dune: Part Two arrives in theaters on November 3, 2023.