Buying tickets for major cinema releases such as *Dune: Part Three*, Christopher Nolan's *The Odyssey* and *Spider-Man: Brand New Day* has become a frustrating ordeal, with theatre chain apps and websites repeatedly crashing under demand and fans queuing for hours to secure seats. The chaos stems partly from the scarcity of premium formats like IMAX, particularly the rare IMAX 70mm screen, which has fuelled a "scarcity mindset" among cinephiles keen to see blockbusters in the best possible way as soon as possible, prompting some to travel long distances or pay scalpers hundreds of dollars for tickets.

AMC Theatres CEO Adam Aron publicly apologised after the *Dune: Part Three* presale, admitting the company was unprepared despite website traffic running roughly triple that seen for the latest Spider-Man release; he called it an "intolerable and inexcusable" high-class problem and pledged $2 million in IT spending to fix it. Only 25 US theatres currently offer IMAX 70mm projection, while IMAX overall has more than 1,800 locations worldwide with ambitions to double that footprint, though this depends on cinema chains investing in suitable venues. Fandango and Regal also faced complaints over glitches, and commentators criticised what they termed the "concertification" of moviegoing, arguing exhibitors need technology and user experience that match the competitive ticket-buying frenzy they have created.