New Delhi, Aug. 25 -- The instruction was simple enough: show up at 9 a.m. Pacific, pick a seat, and walk away with a guaranteed IMAX 70mm ticket for one of the most anticipated films of 2026. For tens of thousands of fans of Denis Villeneuve's "Dune" franchise, it did not work out that way.

Part Three" IMAX 70mm screenings on the morning of August 18, the resulting traffic surge dismantled two of the country's largest ticketing platforms within minutes. AMC's website and mobile app went down. Fandango's site collapsed alongside them. Fans were left staring at error screens and frozen queues for a film that does not open until December 18, four months away.

The failure had a precise measure. Adam Aron, AMC's chief executive, said the co...