I'm not sure about anyone else but, the postponement of DUNE until October of next year was probably the COVID-19 related film delay that stung the most. I had been looking forward to the film for quite some time now and having to wait nearly a year from its original December 2020 release date just feels like torture. At the end of the day, we are where we are and now Comscore Senior Media Analyst Paul Dergarabedian believes that the delay is going to turn into a gamble that pays off in a big way.
Dergarabedian recently weighed in on the film's delay in relation to its box office potential with the "Observer" and he predicts, if the infrastructure is in place to get it there, Warner Bros. is looking at having a possible $1 billion worldwide hit on their hands:
"Interest is off the charts. This is a movie with the global potential of $1 billion. I can see this becoming that kind of film with worldwide appeal in the vein of James Bond."
That's a very ambitious prediction, given the fact that cerebral sci-fi can be a tough sell at the box office. On the other hand, DUNE has a crazy amount of things going for it on paper. It is adapting a truly beloved work of fiction that has a wealth of material to mine for franchise purposes, which seems to be the intention of the studio. The cast is also ridiculously stacked with A-list talent that includes Timothee Chalamet, Oscar Isaac, Josh Brolin, Jason Momoa, Rebecca Ferguson, Zendaya, and Javier Bardem. Lastly, it has an acclaimed director like Denis Villeneuve at the helm and he, in my eyes, has yet to make a misstep as a filmmaker. The year-long delay is not an example of a lack of confidence in the project and 100% a matter of the circumstances of the industry due to the global pandemic. The extra year could also build even more interest and give the studio a chance to launch an even more impressive marketing campaign. Dergarabedian went on to explain further why he thinks the film will be a huge hit:
"This is a huge brand with a major filmmaker backed by a very filmmaker-centric studio. Moving release dates doesn't show a lack of confidence in theaters. It's the opposite. It shows that Warner Bros. has confidence both in the long game and in the property as it would rather wait for theaters to return."
I could see DUNE really hitting big overseas but I do worry a bit about its domestic potential, even with all of these A-list prospects in place. Will a general audience want to embrace DUNE or is it meant more for a niche sci-fi audience? That's my only caveat about its $1 billion potential but if things are back to normal by next October, I do see it turning into a worldwide hit, it's just a matter of how big.
Do YOU think DUNE has $1 billion potential? DUNE hits screens on October 1, 2021.