The effects of the SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes are being felt, as the minds behind movies that are set to premiere later this year are already wondering if it will even be possible to stick to the pln. Dune: Part 2 is currently in ‘wait-and-see’ mode, as it is currently unknown if the actors will be able to market the film at that time.
For actors, the strike in simple terms essentially means ‘stop everything,’ which means no promoting their projects. This means no press junkets, no talk shows, no photoshoots, and no red-carpet walks that are in any way linked with the production. Movies rely on this type of marketing as actors are a big reason audiences turn up to the cinema, do not underestimate the pull of seeing Zendaya on the big screen. Without this, the movie will very likely take a massive hit in terms of box-office figures and that is the last thing studio execs want.
As it stands, Dune: Part 2‘s release date hasn’t changed from Nov. 3, but that could change depending on how the current situation plays out, per Deadline. Dennis Villeneuve has already suffered with his first Dune film in 2021, with WarnerMedia experimenting with a theatrical day-and-date that stopped the film from reaching truly stratospheric blockbuster heights. It would make absolute sense for the film to wait out the current strike and move its release date to when Zendaya, along with her 200 million followers, are back in action and able to promote the film properly.
Many films have already opted to move their release to a later date, including another of Zendaya’s films, Challengers, which has moved from September of this year to April of next pulling out from its opening spot at the 80th Venice International Film Festival. We, along with the producers and execs of Dune: Part 2 will just have to wait and see if we are going to get the film on our screens this year at all.
Published: Jul 25, 2023 07:48 pm