Why was its theatrical release postponed?

• The release of the film Dune 2 has been delayed to March 15, 2024
• The main reason given is none other than the actors’ strike currently taking place in Hollywood.
• Other Warner Bros features may also be delayed

It is a blow to all those who have been waiting for the release of Dunes 2 November 1st in France. Indeed, Warner Bros. announced the bad news this Thursday: Denis Villeneuve’s feature film is postponed to March 15, 2024.

It is not necessary to go very far to explain this postponement. According to our colleagues from varietythis is in fact due to the Hollywood actors’ strike launched this summer by their main union SAG-AFTRA.

Social conflict discourages Warner Bros.

Specifically, the movie Dunes 2 it has already been filmed, and theoretically could have been released on the scheduled date, but that meant forgetting a far from trivial detail. Therefore, the actors on strike do not participate in the promotion.

However, their presence is considered essential by studies. The absence of Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Florence Pugh or even Rebecca Ferguson to sell this new component could lead to a drop in revenues from Dunes 2 at the box office. Warner Bros therefore preferred to play it safe and chose a postponement of a few months.

This new component, however, will not be the only one to suffer the consequences of the ongoing social conflict. For example, Godzilla x Kong: The New Empirewhich was supposed to come out in March, has already been pushed back to April.

Warner Bros would also question the importance of keeping the release ofAquaman and the lost kingdom scheduled for December 20, but has not yet made the decision to postpone at this stage.

In any case, Dunes 2 is highly anticipated by fans. It must be said that the first work was of excellent quality and boded well for the future. After all, Denis Villeneuve has already promised: “We went to new places. I didn’t want a repeat feel. These are new sets. Everything is new. »

Similarly, the director specified last April to HollywoodReporter : “The first part is a more contemplative film. The second part is an action, epic and warrior film. It’s much denser. »

Finally, Dunes 2 was shot 100% in IMAX versus only 40% for the first film. What gives hope, in the rooms that benefit from this technology, to access a much higher visual and sound quality.