Warner Bros. is not having a good year at the box office. Their biggest investments of the year so far have turned out to be rotten eggs (in terms of box office collections)- Shazam! Fury of the Gods, The Flash and Blue Beetle. Their box office success this year is short lived, except, for of course Barbie- the film on track to become the highest grossing film of the year. Along with Barbie another unexpected film is performing well at the box office for the studio – Meg 2. The shark sequel has stormed past $300 million do far. However, to solve their box office drought, the studio has some films in their kitty which are guaranteed box office successes. The final four months of 2023 would’ve been superb for them if not for the strikes. As the studio doesn’t want to waste the box office potential of its movies Warner Bros. have made the call to delay all films until the SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes are over so that the actors are available for promotion. Keep reading below to find out the new release dates of your favorite films.
Dune 2 Has Been Delayed To Next Year!
Perhaps the most anticipated film of the year – Dune: Part Two, has been delayed to next year. The sequel to 2021’s Dune was initially set to hit theatres on November 3rd 2023. However, the studio doesn’t want limited promotion for the film due to the strikes. The first Dune film already suffered because of the Covid-19 restrictions that it was released during. So, Warner Bros. doesn’t want to do the same with what could become the biggest film of 2023.
Despite the pandemic restrictions, Dune: Part One still made $402 million worldwide (on a budget of $165 million), thanks to the all-star cast, the stunning cinematography, and it being based on a supremely popular sci-fi book series. Based on this alone, you can imagine what the film could’ve done in normal circumstances. Dune: Part Two’s new release date is March 15th, 2024. Denis Villeneuve’s directorial is not the only one to face the brunt of the strikes. Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire was also delayed by Warner Bros.
Its theatrical premiere was supposed to happen on March 15, 2024, which is now occupied by Dune 2, so it will instead be released a month later on April 12, 2024. Warner Bros.’ upcoming animated film The Lord of the Rings: The Ride of the Rohirrim was handled the same way as Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire. It was scheduled to hit theaters on Godzilla x Kong’s new release date, so it was pushed back to December 13, 2024. However, as predicted earlier, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom isn’t delayed.
The last title under the DCEU will release on its scheduled December 20th, 2023. The reason for Warner Bros. not opting to delay Aquaman 2 is because the studio wants to get the film in theaters as quickly as possible so that era of the DCEU can be in the past and James Gunn’s new DCU can began.
Watch the official IMAX trailer for Dune: Part Two on YouTube:
Dune 2 adds even more faces into the fold, including Florence Pugh as Princess Irulan, Austin Butler as Feyd-Rautha, Christopher Walken as Shaddam IV and Léa Seydoux as Lady Margot. Dune: Part One is available for streaming on HBO Max or Amazon Prime Video depending on the region where you live.
Dune: Part Two premieres exclusively in theaters on March 15th, 2024.
If you have any questions regarding Dune: Part Two, feel free to ask in the comments below. For more content, stay tuned. As usual, like, subscribe and share our articles as we here are trying to build a community of people High on Cinema!
