Photo: Warner Bros.
‘New Release Date Announced: March 15th, 2024’
The highly anticipated release of Dune: Part Two has been rescheduled to March 15th due to ongoing strikes involving writers and actors, as reported by Variety. Originally slated for November 3rd, Warner Bros. and Legendary Entertainment made the decision to delay the film by four months, recognizing the importance of publicity from its star-studded cast to maximize its box office potential.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the studio and production company held off on postponing the film for as long as possible but realized they needed to start advertising by early September. The additional time will allow the cast, which includes Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Austin Butler, Florence Pugh, and Christopher Walken, to participate in a comprehensive marketing campaign.
As a result of Dune: Part Two’s rescheduling, Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire and Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim have also been pushed back to April 12th, 2024, and December 13th, 2024, respectively.
The ongoing labor actions in Hollywood stem from long-standing tensions over various issues, particularly residual payments from streaming platforms like Netflix. Warner Bros. Discovery, which recently released some films exclusively on its HBO Max streaming platform, was at the center of these disputes. However, CEO David Zaslav stated last year that the company will prioritize theatrical releases moving forward, as reported by BoxOffice Pro.
While Dune: Part One performed well at the box office, grossing $402 million, the hype surrounding the sequel is even greater. Director Denis Villeneuve described Part Two as an action-packed, epic war movie set in new locations, in contrast to the more contemplative nature of the first installment.