Timothee Chalamet stars in Warner Bros.’ “Dune.”
Warner Bros.
“Dune: Part Two” has been removed from the 2023 box office schedule due to the ongoing labor strikes in Hollywood, which have hindered its marketing efforts.
On Thursday, Warner Bros. Discovery and Legendary Entertainment announced that the Denis Villeneuve film would be pushed to March 15, 2024, taking the release date originally allocated for “Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire,” which has been moved to April 12, 2024.
This schedule change also affects the animated film “Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim,” which is now set for release on December 13, 2024.
Industry analysts have long predicted that the “Dune” sequel would delay its 2023 premiere due to the labor strikes by the Writers Guild of America and Screen Actors Guild. These strikes have restricted actors from promoting their current or past films produced by studios within the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP).
The AMPTP is currently negotiating with the Writers Guild of America, and discussions with SAG-AFTRA will likely commence after a new contract is approved. However, progress in the negotiations has been slow, making it improbable for “Dune: Part Two” to receive active promotion from its star-studded cast.
In addition to industry veterans such as Christopher Walken, Stellan Skarsgard, Javier Bardem, Josh Brolin, Dave Bautista, and Jason Momoa, the film features four of Hollywood’s most popular young stars: Zendaya, Timothee Chalamet, Florence Pugh, and Austin Butler. These actors have a combined social media following of over 200 million and are highly influential on platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter.
While older audiences who are fans of the book and have seen the first “Dune” film are likely to watch the sequel, younger audiences may miss out on the movie without the promotion from these stars.
Delaying the release of “Dune: Part Two” may ultimately benefit its box office performance in 2024, but it will impact Warner Bros. Discovery’s earnings for 2023. The studio considered the film to be an important release for the year, especially given the success of “Barbie” and growing doubts about “Aquaman: The Lost Kingdom,” scheduled for release in December.
The previous “Dune” film performed remarkably well at the box office despite being simultaneously released on streaming service HBO Max. It received 10 Academy Award nominations and won six Oscars.
With pandemic restrictions lifted, it is expected that “Dune: Part Two” will surpass the nearly $400 million global box office revenue generated by its predecessor in 2021. Additionally, by taking over the release date of “Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire,” the sequel will have access to premium format screens like IMAX and will benefit from the increasing preference of audiences for enhanced theatrical experiences.
Disclosure: Comcast, the parent company of NBCUniversal and CNBC, is a member of the AMPTP.
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