HBO Max Decision Reversed as “Dune” is Set to Debut In Theaters

Denis Villeneuve’s adaptation of Dune will debut exclusively in theaters. This is reversing the decision that Warner Media implemented that had it’s films debut in theaters and on HBO Max simultaneously. 

Deadline has reported that the film will premiere in September at the Venice Film Festival, ahead of it’s October 1st release date. Warner Brothers has already reached a deal with Regal Cinemas to bring back the 45-day theatrical windows for all films in 2022. Dune falls under this category, and will most likely be the only film the studio has this for, as all other films slated for later this year are still set to debut on streaming and theaters concurrently. 

Some have speculated the decision to change the release for Dune comes from Legendary Pictured putting up 75% of the film’s production budget. It’s been reported that execs did not receive advance warning about their investment debuting on HBO Max, which is a service that Legendary is not associated with. Legendary had also put up a significant portion of the production budget of Godzilla vs Kong  which performed quite well in both platforms. 

Dune is Warner Brother’s tentpole fall film this year. It is an adaptation of Frank Herbert’s book, and is being directed by Denis Villeneuve. The film consists of very large cast including Timothee Chalamet, Zendaya, Jason Momoa, Dave Bautista, Stellen Skarsgard, Oscar Issac, Josh Brolin, and Javier Bardem to name a few.

Grant Robertson: Hello, my name is Grant Robertson. I am currently studying media & journalism at The University of South Dakota. I absolutely love movies, so with my major and my film studies minor, I am hoping to become a full time entertainment journalist in the future. I am currently a Movie News Intern for MXDWN.
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