Well, “Dune” fans, there’s some good news and some bad news. Deadline reports that Warner Bros. has pushed back Denis Villeneuve‘s follow-up to his 2021 blockbuster from its October 20, 2023 release date. But now, the studio slots it in its coveted pre-Thanksgiving release spot on November 17, 2023, where it will vie against Lionsgate‘s “The Hunger Games: A Ballad Of Songbirds And Snakes” at the box office.
READ MORE: ‘Dune Part Two’: Léa Seydoux Joins The Cast Of Denis Villeneuve’s Sci-Fi Sequel
Good or bad, the three-week push-back should be news to no one. “Dune” was the highest-grossing movie for Warner Bros. during its 2021 pandemic theatrical day-and-date model with HBO Max. And with six Oscar wins to go with that, of course Warner Bros. wants its sequel to release in a spot that’s gone to the likes of the “Harry Potter” and “Fantastic Beasts” movies over the years. Those movies are no longer the studio’s cash cows, especially after how dismally “The Secrets Of Dumbledore” did in theaters earlier this year. “Dune” is the interim tentpole release, so let the box-office spice flow.
Beyond the new “Hunger Games” prequel, “Dune: Part Two” will also go up against DreamWorks Animation‘s sequel “Trolls 3” from Universal and John Krasinski‘s Ryan Reynolds vehicle from Paramount. Of course, those films could also get shuffled around, but that’s the tentative showdown for November 17 next year at the moment.
“Dune: Part Two” starts production in Budapest this Fall. Villeneuve’s sequel brings a bunch of exciting newcomers to the already stacked ensemble cast. Léa Seydoux, Florence Pugh, Austin Butler, and Christopher Walken are all on board for the new film, which already boasts the returns of Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Javier Bardem, Rebecca Ferguson, and Josh Brolin.
So, with this shift in release dates, it’s clear that Warner Bros. is high on Villeneuve’s “Dune: Part Two.” The movie’s showdown with “The Hunger Games” prequel awaits audiences next November.