Is this her last chance to see Dune on the big screen?

December 29, 2021 3:35 PM

Do major motion pictures still circulate, nowadays, at rinky-dink second-run theaters? Or are they whisked away, never to be seen except streaming? (Tragic stakes and technical difficulties below the fold.)

Lovely mrs_goldfish is obsessed with Dune. We are (right now!) driving down I-95 and had a pact to stop and see its latest cinematic incarnation in Baltimore. Unfortunately, my tricksy car key keeps learning new tricks, and almost stranded us at a service plaza in Delaware. We know someone who can fix it, but his shop is three hours south of Baltimore, and we daren’t turn the motor off in between.

Dune plays tomorrow in Richmond. It’s a four hour round trip, and we’ll already have had some further logical shenanigans tonight and tomorrow. (mrs_goldfish has a car at our home, half an hour north of Car Key Fixer, but it has its own technical difficulties.) Dune’s website says tomorrow is its last day anywhere near us. If she does not drive a bonus 2 hours each way, will mrs_goldfish ever see (this production of) Dune, the movie whose philosophy helped her survive high school, on the big screen?

posted by feral_goldfish to Media & Arts (9 answers total)

There will be a big Academy push for Dune, which should land it back in theaters in New York and Los Angeles at the very least. (Probably other cities too, but who knows, these are weird times.)
posted by roger ackroyd at 4:23 PM on December 29, 2021

If she doesn't mind waiting, there will probably be double-features in 2023 when Part Two comes out.
posted by Rhaomi at 4:32 PM on December 29, 2021 [3 favorites]

Do you *have* any rinky dink second run theaters in your area? They are getting awfully rare. If you happen to be near any, yes it is entirely possible.
posted by cakelite at 5:09 PM on December 29, 2021

A more expensive option - theaters around me offer the option to rent out a theater and show your choice of movie. I’m betting that they could do Dune?
posted by itsamermaid at 5:16 PM on December 29, 2021 [2 favorites]

If you have (or can find/borrow) a projector, some decent speakers (I used a Bose soundlink) and a large-enough white wall at home, it's not a bad simulation of a movie theater! Sometimes local libraries can lend out projectors.
posted by gemutlichkeit at 5:40 PM on December 29, 2021

Another place to research might be drive-ins? They often play films well after the release date.
posted by rrrrrrrrrt at 7:19 PM on December 29, 2021

PSA: If you do find a way to see it in a theater (especially an IMAX screening), BRING EARPLUGS. I saw it on a "liemax" screen and it was deafeningly loud, to the point it may have caused some short-term hearing damage. Definitely my least favorite part of the experience.
posted by Rhaomi at 8:52 PM on December 29, 2021 [1 favorite]

If it gets nominated for Best Picture, some theaters do a weekend marathon of all the nominated movies.
posted by acidic at 9:57 PM on December 29, 2021 [1 favorite]

It's being added back to quite a few theaters this weekend so plug in your location here and see. I don't expect this to last long.
posted by acidic at 12:24 AM on January 5, 2022