Is this the domino in the Fall release calendar that causes all the others to tumble? Variety reports that Warner Bros. has pushed Denis Villeneuve‘s “Dune: Part Two” to a March 15, 2024 release. The sequel to the 2021 film was supposed to hit theaters on November 3. Now, with its studio shifting it ahead to next year, one wonders if other studios will follow suit, postponing releases of their major releases for the rest of the year.
The culprit for the delay of “Dune: Part Two” is obvious: the ongoing WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. In short, Warner Bros. wants (and needs) its massive ensemble cast for publicity of the blockbuster on its marketing tour, and due to the SAG-AFTRA strike, they’re not available to do that. So the studio thinks it’s best to wait until the strike resolve, if they ever do. In the meantime, the shift of “Dune: Part Two” doesn’t shake thing up too much yet. “Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire,” another Legendary Entertainment release, will now open on April 12, 2024 instead of March 14, 2024. But the rest of Warner Bros.’ Fall release schedule remains intact; again, for now.
Another impact to the “Dune: Part Two” delay comes in shifting the film’s date on IMAX screens around. It shouldn’t hurt those screens too much, considering “The Equalizer 3,” “Wonka,” and “The Marvels” will also hit IMAX this Fall. But with Warner Bros. shifting a major blockbuster ahead three or so months makes one wonder if they’ll do so for other films of theirs, and if other studios will follow suit. The other Warner Bros. tentpole releases this Fall? “The Color Purple” on December 25,James Wan‘s “Aquaman And The Lost Kingdom” on December 20, and “Wonka” on December 10. It’s highly unlikely the studio will shift those films, especially Wan’s, considering how it’s much it’s been shuffled around already.
As for other studios that have delayed releases due to the strikes, Sony leads the charge there. They pushed back both “Kraven The Hunter” and their “Ghostbusters: Afterlife” sequel to 2024 slots. Plus, “Spider-Man: Beyond The Spider-Verse” is now scrubbed from the release calendar entirely (but that’s not surprising, given the stories about “Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse). And then there’s the case of another Zendaya vehicle: Luca Guadagnino‘s “Challengers,” which was supposed to open the 2023 Venice Film Festival. That film now opens on April 26, 2024. MGM pushed that one ahead because, well, Zendaya is one of the most popular women in the world, so they want her for publicity. And the studio can’t have her until the strikes are over.
So now it’s a waiting game to see if other studios push back their big titles for the Fall and holiday season. If they do, expect a lot of calamity in Hollywood, plus speculation on if these delays will expedite the renegotiation process between AMPTP and WGA & SAG-AFTRA. But for now, it’s official: “Dune: Part Two” is no longer part of the 2023 release calendar. Let’s hope other major 2023 films don’t follow the same trajectory.
