Dune: Part Two is moved four months because of strikes

Months after Disney moved movies around its release calendar, Warner Bros. Discovery is doing the same thing, with the news that Dune: Part Two is slipping into 2024, which has the knock-on effect of postponing the next Monsterverse movie, as well.

In a move that’s been rumored for some time, the studio is moving the second Dune movie from November 2023 to March 15, 2024 as a result of the ongoing WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, where it essentially replaces Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, which had previously been expected to open March 14. That movie, the latest in the Monsterverse series from Legendary and Warner Bros., will now be released a month later, on April 12.

The continuing SAG-AFTRA strike means that the star-studded Dune: Part Two would be lacking promotion from its cast, which includes Timothy Chalamet, Zendaya, Austin Butler, Florence Pugh, Rebecca Ferguson, and Lea Seydoux amongst many others. It’s believed that the lack of cast promotion for Blue Beetle is being considered a significant factor in that movie’s poor performance at the box office by the studio, which likely contributed to the decision to move Dune 2 so close to its release.

According to Variety, Dune: Part Two was just one of multiple features WBD was looking at moving in the face of the ongoing strikes, with both The Color Purple and Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, the final movie in the DCEU era of superhero movies, both also under consideration. Ultimately, the decision was made to leave those two in their current release slots — December 25 and December 20, respectively — but don’t be too surprised if that changes if the strike is still happening this time next month…

Disney and Sony have both moved high profile movies because of the strike previously.