‘Dune’ Director Denis Villeneuve Sparks Debate About Big Screen Experience: ‘It’s Not Just a Product. It’s Church.’

variety.com:

Jennifer Yuma editorFilmmaker Denis Villeneuve is gearing up for his latest project, “Dune,” which hits both theaters and HBO Max on Oct.22, and the director is disappointed that the pandemic has affected the film’s rollout.In a new interview with Total Film, the Academy Award nominee said the pandemic is the “enemy of the cinema,” and spoke to the “tremendous pressure” that the film industry is under, while disagreeing about the film’s move to streaming.Villeneuve was among the most vocal opponents of Warner Bros.’ decision to put its entire 2021 slate both in theaters and HBO Max for one month on the same day.

In an open letter in Variety, he wrote that AT&T “Hijacked one of the most respectable and important studios in film history..