'Dune' director Denis Villeneuve bashes Warner Bros' HBO Max release plan

Warner Bros. Pictures announced that their entire 2021 movie slate will arrive on HBO Max and in theatres on the exact same day. Many people questioned their decision as cinemas are in dire need of tent poles to release on the big screen to bring back audiences. As the hybrid premiere includes the much-anticipated Dune, the director of the film Denis Villeneuve expressed his concerns.

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'Dune' helmer Denis Villeneuve blasts HBO Max Deal

Acclaimed director Denis Villeneuve bashed the makers' decision to give his multi-starrer movie Dune for a hybrid premiere. He told Variety that he learned in the news that Warner Bros. has decided to release Dune on HBO Max at the same time as their theatrical release, using prominent images from their movie to promote the studios’ streaming service. The filmmaker stated that with this decision AT&T (the parent company of Warner Bros.) has “hijacked” one of the most “respectable and important studios” in film history.

He mentioned that there is “absolutely no love” for cinema, nor for the audience in the company. It is all about the survival of a telecom mammoth, one that is currently bearing an astronomical debt of more than $150 billion, he explained. Villeneuve asserted that even though Dune is about cinema and audiences, AT&T is about its own survival on Wall Street. With HBO Max’s launch “a failure” thus far, AT&T decided to sacrifice Warner Bros.’ entire 2021 slate in a “desperate attempt” to grab the audience’s attention, he noted.

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Denis Villeneuve said that streaming services are a “positive and powerful” addition to the movie and TV ecosystems. He mentioned that it can provide great content, but not movies of Dune’s scope and scale. The filmmaker stated that Warner Bros.'s decision means his film will not have the chance to perform financially in order to be viable and piracy will ultimately triumph. He asserted that the studio might just have killed the Dune franchise, which currently has two more projects planned.

The Blade Runner 2049 helmer said that Dune is by far the best movie he has ever made. Denis Villeneuve mentioned that he and his team devoted more than three years of their lives to make it a unique big-screen experience. The director stated that their movie’s image and sound were meticulously designed to be seen in theatres. He provided his support to the filmmaker of other 16 movies that Warner Bros. has planned to release on HBO Max and in theatres simultaneously.

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Denis Villeneuve also said that he agreed to delay Dune by a year considering public safety. He revealed that his plan was to open the film in October 2021, in theatres when vaccinations will be advanced, and hopefully, COVID-19 will be behind. Now, he “strongly believes” the future of cinema will be on the silver screen. Once the pandemic is over, theatres will be filled again with film lovers, he noted. Villeneuve asserted that he has both a “fiduciary and creative responsibility” to fulfill as the filmmaker. He called on AT&T to “act swiftly with the same responsibility, respect and regard” to protect this vital cultural medium.