The CEO of IMAX explains why there won’t be a delay in the release of Dune 2: “No disrespect to Timothée Chalamet”
Richard Gelfond, the CEO of IMAX, believes that there is little probability that Dune: Part Two will be delayed for reasons related to business or marketing.
Gelfond discusses how crucial it is for Dune to be released in IMAX and how challenging it would be to create a lengthy film of that length at a later time. He also notes how critical it is for Dune to be released in IMAX.
Gelfond ponders whether or not it would be prudent to postpone the release of the movie given that there isn’t much competition in the market at the moment and that this could have an impact on the costs as well as the release date of the movie.
According to the Chief Executive Officer of IMAX, Richard Gelfond, contrary to a recent report, it does not appear that Dune: Part Two will be delayed after all. The movie Dune, which was released in 2021 and was directed by Denis Villeneuve and based on the well-known books written by Frank Herbert, scored quite well at the box office and received positive reviews when it was first released.
The director of Dune: Part Two is going to continue telling the story of Paul Atreides, who is played by Timothée Chalamet, in the film that features a stellar cast. As a result of the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike, it is now unknown whether or not the movie will be released in November as originally scheduled.
Now, as the release date of Dune: Part Two grows closer, a comment made by Gelfond during the IMAX Q2 earnings call, which was transcribed by The Motley Fool, reveals that a prior claim that Warner Bros. was considering delaying the sequel may not be genuine. This comment was made by Gelfond during the earnings call. The Chief Executive Officer suggests in his response that delaying the release of the movie may not be the best decision from a business perspective. Take a look at the complete statement made by Gelfond down below.
“Right. The Marvels from Marvel is another wonderful movie that will be coming out around the same time as Dune, but we are unable to play it because we already have plans for Dune. This is due to the fact that The Marvels from Marvel will be coming out around the same time as Dune. Therefore, Dune will be recast in The Marvels, and having a Marvel film on standby in case something goes wrong isn’t the worst idea in the world. My opinion, though, is that it is extremely improbable that Dune will move, and since it is an educated opinion, it indicates that I performed a significant amount of research on the topic.
“As you may already be aware, there is already some promotion going on for Dune. The videos are now available. There is a great deal of content out there to explore. They delivered a lengthy speech at a number of different get-togethers. In point of fact, Denis Villeneuve spoke at the IMAX CEO Forum earlier this year. Therefore, we might say that it has already begun in a sense. Therefore, if you put it back in the gate, you will be required to pay an additional fee in the future in order to have it removed from the gate. Additionally, the IMAX run of Dune can last for as long as five or six weeks at a time.
It was also a stroke of good luck that there weren’t any other projects underway at the same time. On the other hand, if they moved it to somewhere around the next year, it is highly improbable that they would have that much time to manage it. And just so you know, IMAX was responsible for approximately twenty percent of Dune 1’s expansion. And I am aware that there will be a great deal of promotion for Dune 2.
“If they relocate Dune 2, there will be a cost associated with it. Call it 10% or whatever it is. The question now is how, given the additional costs, they plan to make up for this cost. The IMAX release is a very significant component of their overall film distribution strategy. Just a minute ago, I expressed my belief that it is unlikely that they will have the same amount of time to run in the future.
“So, when I look at it from their point of view, from a dollars and cents point of view, it just doesn’t make any sense to me that they would move it because — and once again, the only reason they would move it is because the actors are on strike and they want to get a premiere and put it on the Tonight Show or whatever they put the actors on, but no offense to Timothée Chalamet. “
“Are you going to be able to make up for the fact that you missed out on the IMAX release for the first six weeks? Are you going to find a way to compensate for the expense of carrying cash for an entire year? Are you going to transfer it to a year that you don’t know when you don’t know what it will be used against you, and when they almost don’t have any competitors in the market right now?
“It doesn’t make any kind of sense at all. In comparison to other films, I believe it to be one of the most persuasive arguments in favor of staying put. However, you could proceed through all of them using essentially the same line of reasoning. I believe that I have discussed this matter with the distributor at Warner Brothers, and they have informed me that they have no idea where that story can be published in the press.
“And I don’t because they’ve told me that part of it is false,” she continued. The only thing I can do, therefore, is explain to you why I think it makes sense; yet, I have a strong feeling that it won’t change.
