IMAX CEO Richard Gelfond doesn’t believe Warner Bros. will delay Dune: Part Two despite recent reports suggesting otherwise.
During IMAX’s July earnings call (via The Direct), Gelfond stated that he thinks that Dune: Part Two is “highly unlikely to move” from its Nov. 3 release date, citing his statement as an “educated opinion” as he’s “spent a lot of time on the facts.” He added, “As a matter of fact, Denis Villeneuve presented at the IMAX CEO Forum. So, it’s kind of out of the gate. So, if you put it back in the gate, you’ve got to duplicate those expenses at some time in the future putting it out of the gate.” Gelfond also revealed that Dune: Part Two is currently scheduled to run for five or six weeks on IMAX screens in November, which is something that might not be guaranteed if the film moves to 2024.
Variety reported last week that Warner Bros. was considering moving Dune: Part Two, as well as Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom and The Color Purple, off the 2023 release calendar and into 2024. However, according to Gelfond, he heard straight from Warner Bros. that Variety’s report is false. “And I don’t — they’ve certainly told me that that article is not true,” he said. “So, all I can do is give you my logical perspective on it, but I feel quite strongly that it’s not going to move.”
Long Live the Fighters
Dune: Part Two, which will adapt the second half of Frank Herbert’s acclaimed 1965 novel, explores “the mythic journey of Paul Atreides as he unites with Chani and the Fremen while on a warpath of revenge against the conspirators who destroyed his family. Facing a choice between the love of his life and the fate of the known universe, he endeavors to prevent a terrible future only he can foresee,” reads the official synopsis. Warner Bros. is clearly hoping that the hotly-anticipated sequel will perform just as well as 2021’s Dune, which grossed over $400 million at the worldwide box office and won six awards at the 94th Academy Awards.
Who Stars in Dune: Part Two?
Reprising their roles from the first Dune film are Timothée Chalamet as Paul Atreides, Josh Brolin as Gurney Halleck, Zendaya as Chani, Rebecca Ferguson as Lady Jessica, Stellan Skarsgård as Baron Vladimir Harkonnen, Dave Bautista as Glossu Rabban, Stephen McKinley Henderson as Thufir Hawat, Charlotte Rampling as Gaius Helen Mohiam and Javier Bardem as Stilgar. New additions to the franchise include Christopher Walken as Emperor Shaddam IV of House Corrino Walken, Austin Butler as Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen, Florence Pugh as Princess Irulan, Léa Seydoux as Bene Gesserit Lady Margot and Souheila Yacoub as Fremen warrior Shishakli. Tim Blake Nelson has also been cast in an undisclosed role.
Dune: Part Two opens in theaters on Nov. 3.
Source: The Direct