The Warner Bros movie studio has delayed the planned November release of the ‘Dune’ sequel until March 2024.
According to a studio spokesperson, the reason behind the delay is the actors could promote the movie during the Hollywood actors’ strike.
The decision deals a blow to cinema chains such as AMC Entertainment, Cineplex, and Cinemark which are still trying to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. Dune was one of the most anticipated movies on the late 2023 schedule.
Dune: Part Two will now debut on March 15, 2024, a date that had been reserved for the Warner Bros movie Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire. The monster movie was shifted to April 12.
Read more: ‘Dune’ is officially getting a sequel, expected to release in 2023
Dune: Part Two stars Zendaya and Timothée Chalamet in a sci-fi sequel based on Frank Herbert’s 1965 novel about an intergalactic battle to control a precious resource. The first installment, released in 2021 during the pandemic, generated $402 million at global box offices.
Top stars have refused to promote upcoming projects since the SAG-AFTRA actors union joined striking Hollywood writers and walked off the job on July 14.
Overall moviegoing this year remains below pre-pandemic levels despite the major boost this summer from movies like Barbie and Oppenheimer.
Other major movies on the 2023 schedule at the moment include Walt Disney’s The Marvels, a Lionsgate prequel to The Hunger Games, and Wonka, another Warner Bros film that also stars Chalamet.
The strike by the Writers Guild of America (WGA), which began on May 2, has shut down most production of scripted television shows and some movie shoots.
