Barbenheimer fever may be sweeping the planet, but some of 2023’s other notable releases could reportedly be shifted back to 2024.
According to Variety, Dune: Part Two – the Denis Villeneuve-directed sequel – could move from its initial release date of November 3 to next year.
Warner Bros. is also "assessing potential new dates" for its holiday season crop, including DC sequel Aquaman and The Lost Kingdom and The Color Purple.
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It’s worth tempering expectations, however, of a box office wasteland from November onwards. Sources close to Variety say "no formal discussions" have taken place in regards to new release dates.
But it’s certainly a concern – and not just for Warner Bros. With the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike, talent will not be able to promote their movies in interviews or through other means. Some movies live and die on word-of-mouth and, as we’ve seen with Barbie and Oppenheimer, a deluge of marketing can be the difference between a decent hit and a worldwide sensation. If the strikes, including the WGA strike, rumble on, then a threat of delays could become a reality.
Aquaman and The Lost Kingdom, meanwhile, has got its own fair share of problems. The Jason Momoa-starring sequel, according to The Hollywood Reporter, has undergone multiple reshoots. Now, Ben Affleck’s Batman has been cut out of the movie, with DC Studios co-CEOs James Gunn and Peter Safran seemingly not wanting to promise a cinematic universe that would never come to fruition.
For more on what’s coming to cinemas (for now), check out our guides to upcoming movies and movie release dates.
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