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Virginia Air & Space Center to Show Dune in IMAX

The Hampton museum will screen Dune: Part 3 on its 70 mm IMAX screen for four weeks starting December 18, its first Hollywood film in over nine years.

Updated on Nov. 6, 2026 in Science Fiction

Large modern domed museum building rising above flat coastal waterfront under a soft late-afternoon sky with calm water in the foreground.
The Virginia Air & Space Science Center in Hampton will screen Dune: Part 3 in 70 mm IMAX from December 18 for four weeks, its first Hollywood film in over nine years. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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The Virginia Air & Space Science Center will show Dune: Part 3 in 70 mm IMAX beginning December 18, running four weeks alongside its educational programming. It is the first Hollywood movie on the center's largest screen in more than nine years, and the screening is intended as a test of public interest.

Why it matters

The center shifted its theater to educational programming in 2018 as part of a financial recovery, and renewed interest in IMAX following The Odyssey led leadership to look for a way to screen films within budget. The current IMAX system has reached end of life, and upgrading to the latest version would cost nearly $1 million.

The center's IMAX screen supports 70 mm film, one of 25 such screens in the U.S., and the current system has reached end of life. Upgrading to the latest IMAX version would cost nearly $1 million, and the IMAX contract expires in 2028.

The players

Virginia Air & Space Science Center

A Hampton museum and science center that operates a 70 mm IMAX theater and shifted its screen to educational programming in 2018.

IMAX

The large-format cinema technology company whose end-of-life notice for the center's current system prompted the center to reconsider its screening options.

The details

Adult tickets for Dune are $22, students and children 18 and under pay $18, and seniors 65 and above pay $21. An advanced screening for members and VIP guests will be held December 15 before the public run begins.

Timeline

  1. December 15, 2026: Advanced screening for members and VIP guests.

  2. December 18, 2026: Dune: Part 3 begins a four-week run.

  3. February 2026: IMAX informed the center its current system has reached end of life.

  4. 2028: The center's IMAX contract expires.

Industry Dynamics

The screening reverses the center's 2018 move away from Hollywood films toward educational programming, which was adopted as part of a financial recovery effort. Renewed interest in IMAX following The Odyssey has prompted the center to test whether mainstream blockbusters can again fill its largest screen.

Moviegoers can see Dune in 70 mm IMAX at the Hampton center for four weeks starting December 18, with adult tickets at $22, discounted student and child tickets at $18, and senior tickets at $21. Because the screening is a test, its continuation for other Hollywood films depends on public turnout.

The takeaway

The center's Dune screening is a test of whether a single blockbuster can revive mainstream programming on its IMAX screen. Local moviegoers who want to see it on the large format should plan ahead for the December dates.

What happens next

The Dune: Part 3 run begins December 18, 2026, with an advanced screening for members and VIP guests on December 15, 2026.

Further reading

For more on the genre, browse our Science Fiction coverage.

Source note: This article includes information reported by Daily Press.

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Would you buy a ticket to see Dune on the large IMAX screen?