‘Dune 2’ Aims for Blockbuster Glory: How a Strike Delay, Imax and ‘Oppenheimer’ Success Can Boost Denis Villeneuve’s Sequel
variety.comRebecca Rubin Film and Media Reporter Back in August 2023, as two labor strikes were roiling Hollywood and preventing stars from promoting blockbusters, Warner Bros.
and Legendary Pictures decided to postpone the release of “Dune: Part Two.” The studios feared that without Timothée Chalamet and Zendaya on the press circuit, the big-budget science fiction sequel wouldn’t live up to its box office potential on its initial November date. “My first thought was ‘Oh, crap,'” remembers Chris Randleman, chief revenue officer of the Texas-based cinema chain Flix Brewhouse.
Like many theater operators, Randleman was devastated by the delay. Already, Christmastime was lacking a behemoth like a “Star Wars” or “Avatar” sequel, and there was hope “Dune: Part Two” — scheduled for Nov.
3 — would offset middling attendance around the holidays. But even though a common refrain in the movie business has been that “Dune 2” can’t come soon enough, the fact is that it may be even better positioned on its new March 1 release date.
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