In an interview with Time magazine, director Denis Villeneuve expressed his frustrations with the current studio system and his hopes for cinema. This belief was inflamed over the past several years after the pandemic affected how Dune: Part One was released.
In 2021, Warner Bros. decided to release Dune both in theaters and on HBO Max, earning ire from Villeneuve in an essay on Variety. To the director, this move showed very little respect to its audience and seemed more accommodating for “its own survival on Wall Street.” “With HBO Max’s launch a failure thus far, AT&T decided to sacrifice Warner Bros.’ entire 2021 slate in a desperate attempt to grab the audience’s attention,” Villeneuve claimed.
At the same time, Villeneuve understood that streaming has become an essential part of “the movie and TV ecosystems.” He even stated that he approved pushing Dune’s release date later to maintain public safety due to the risk of a second COVID wave in the winter. Even so, he felt that Warner Bros. was being disrespectful by using streaming as an easy out for distribution. Streaming might be prominent, but to him, “humans have deeply needed communal storytelling experiences.” Villeneuve posited that cinema is an art form that can reach other audiences in a collective experience. With Warner Bros’ decision, Villeneuve declared that “they are no longer on the same team” as filmmakers.
Even now, he has decried how filmmakers behave more like algorithms than artists. Since they are in a “conservative time,” Villeneuve believes that creativity is restricted in Hollywood, relying on what charts and graphs say is currently popular. According to Villeneuve, only taking risks and creative freedom can save movies, not Wall Street.
Still, he has maintained hope that people will continue to flock to theaters and that cinema as an art will flourish. “There’s always an adjustment, but the river still keeps flowing. The theatrical experience is here for good. It will prevail, it will transform,” he told Time. He even hoped that Dune: Part Two would recapture this magic, especially since it’s being released exclusively in theaters. “I’m much more happy with Part Two than I was with Part One. I cannot wait to share it with the fans and the moviegoers,“ he gushed.
Dune: Part Two is set for release on March 1st.
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