Dune hits theaters on October 22. Denis Villeneuve’s new film only adapts the first half of Frank Herbert’s iconic 1965 sci-fi book, and there’s been concern that if the movie doesn’t do well at the box office, Villeneuve and company might not get to adapt the rest. That’s an especially big worry given that Dune will be released in theaters and on HBO Max at the same time, meaning people won’t have to see it in theaters if they don’t want to.
This situation could have been avoided had Villeneuve filmed his two proposed movies at the same time, but it was not to be. “I wanted at the beginning to do the two parts simultaneously,” Villeneuve told Variety in a video interview. “For several reasons, it didn’t happen, and I agreed to the challenge of making part one and then wait to see if the movie rings enough enthusiasm. As I was doing the the first part, I really put all my passion into it, in case it would be the only one. But I’m optimistic.”
Hopefully, that optimism will pay off. Variety now reports that, according to insiders, the HBO Max deal gives Villeneuve assurances that he can still make his follow-up to Dune even if it performs below expectations at the box office, which makes sense; between the pandemic and the HBO Max release, there’s an understanding that the movie may not perform as well as it would under normal circumstances.
HBO Max release could be a boon to Dune’s future
Dune was originally going to be released in 2020, but was pushed back several times as the pandemic kept people from theaters. Then there was the outcry from Villeneuve, who insists his opus was created to be seen on the big screen and was angry that it was coming out on HBO Max.
According to Variety, Warner Bros. gave producer Legendary Pictures the option to move the premiere to 2022, but no one wanted to delay the release that long and jeopardize the sizable backend revenue deals. Legendary was allegedly close to taking legal action because they weren’t initially consulted about the HBO Max rollout plan, but a deal was eventually worked out.
Even without the pandemic, it’s possible that a ponderous, ambitious movie like Dune might not perform well at the box office. It’s comforting to know that however the movie does, in theaters and on HBO Max, Villeneuve will hopefully be given the chance to finish out the story.
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h/t SlashFilm