Denis Villeneuve’s James Wan’s divisive horror movie Malignant, The Sopranos prequel The Many Saints of Newark, Clint Eastwood’s Cry Macho, and the less theatrically successful yet critically acclaimed The Suicide Squad.
Dune has already premiered around the world, meaning many patient fans have already had the opportunity to see the movie. For many European countries like and Italy that don’t have wide access to HBO Max, Dune was released theatrically in September 2021 following its September 3 Venice International Film Festival Premiere. The movie was originally slated to premiere in the U.S. in November 2020 but had seen multiple delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Finally, the movie settled on an October 22, 2021 premiere date with a simultaneous release on HBO Max.
The official U.S. release date for Dune is October 22, 2021, but HBO Max is giving fans a treat for their patience and dropping the movie a day early on Thursday, October 21 to coincide with theatrical showings. This way, audiences can avoid too many spoilers or fear of missing out from those who see it in the movie theaters that day. In addition to the early release for the U.S., Dune will release on HBO Max at 3 p.m. PT and 6 p.m. ET on October 21. This specific time is odd for HBO Max considering most premieres release at midnight PT, but the earlier time will hardly have anyone complaining.
With Dune's release time and date coming earlier, fans will have the opportunity to catch the movie early in the theaters and come home to rewatch the most exciting scenes on HBO Max. Additionally, the early HBO Max release could actually work in Villeneuve’s favor. Fans may catch it early on Thursday and realize they’re not gaining the correct cinematic experience on their home TVs, so they decide to buy tickets for Friday and Saturday shows in the theater. If this strategy is successful, it’ll mean increased profits for Dune with HBO Max views and box office earnings.
Dune’s HBO Max day-and-date release alongside theaters will be the streaming service’s true test for whether it impacts box office performance. Denis Villeneuve has long been campaigning for audiences to watch it in movie theaters because - let’s face it - Jason Mamoa and Oscar Isaac deserve to be seen on a screen larger than 40 inches. Dune's box office earnings are expected to be high, but it’s yet to tell whether the earlier Thursday at 3 p.m. release time will help or hinder its U.S. theatrical success.
