We’re hearing that Warner Bros. release of Legendary’s Dune is no longer going on Dec. 18, rather Oct. 1, 2021. Right now that’s the same release date as Matt Reeves’ The Batman, so we have to figure Warners moves Batman. Duh.
Many in distribution land always believed it was too good to be true for Warners to keep two major tentpoles –one a franchise starter, the other a franchise sequel– within days of each other, given P&A spend, especially with Wonder Woman 1984 still set for Christmas Day.
The news comes in the wake of Cineworld and Regal closing. Exhibitors were informed by the studio to push out Dune materials during Tenet‘s early September debut, which included a teaser trailer as well as the official trailer dropping for the Denis Villeneuve reboot of the Frank Herbert novel; the last version being in 1984, directed by David Lynch.
Villeneuve’s version of Dune stars Zendaya, Timothee Chalamet, Jason Momoa, Dave Bautista, Josh Brolin, Rebecca Ferguson, Oscar Isaac, Stellan Skarsgard, Javier Bardem and Charlotte Rampling among many others.
What’s left among wide releases in December now? 20th Century Studios’ Free Guy on Dec. 11, 20th’s Death on the Nile on Dec. 18, Coming 2 America from Paramount on that same date with Wonder Woman 1984 on Christmas and Universal’s News of the World, followed by Screen Gems’ Escape Room 2 on Dec. 30. Still TBD is whether Sony puts in Constantin’s Monster Hunter in December, which is getting a release abroad in December.