We have wormsign! After the long delay, Dune: Part One finally begins it’s theatrical run this week. Theatergoers in some parts of Asia and Europe will have the opportunity to watch preview screenings of the movie as early as September 14, before wider releases the following day. Depending on your location, the film may be offered in a variety of formats—including IMAX (3D), Dolby Cinema, 4DX 3D, and/or traditional 2D.
Since premieres of Denis Villeneuve’s Dune are spread out over a period of months—and various countries shifted theirs, following announcement of the new October 22 release date in the United States—some fans have been confused or caught by surprise. Have no fear, we have you covered with this up-to-date list of the movie’s known release date in each country or region.
Dune Release Dates
Dates that are confirmed directly by Warner Bros. and/or local distributors are listed in bold. Some of the other dates may still be subject to change. As per above, check with your local theater to inquire about availability of preview screenings.
September 15:
- Belgium
- France
- Luxembourg
- Norway
- Switzerland
- Sweden
September 16:
- Azerbaijan
- Belarus
- CIS
- Denmark
- Italy
- Germany
- Hong Kong
- Kazakhstan
- The Netherlands
- Russia
- Singapore
- Taiwan
- Ukraine
September 17:
- Austria
- Estonia
- Finland
- Iceland
- Latvia
- Lithuania
- Spain
September 23:
- Bahrain
- Egypt
- Kuwait
- Lebanon
- Middle East
- Oman
- Qatar
- Saudi Arabia
- United Arab Emirates
October 13:
- Indonesia
- Philippines
- Thailand
October 14:
- Greece
- Malaysia
October 15:
- Ghana
- Nigeria
- Japan
- Vietnam
October 16:
- East Africa
October 20:
- South Korea
October 21:
- Argentina (theatrical)
- Bolivia (theatrical)
- Brazil (theatrical)
- Chile (theatrical)
- Colombia (theatrical)
- Costa Rica (theatrical)
- Croatia
- Cyprus
- Czech Republic
- El Salvador (theatrical)
- Guatemala (theatrical)
- Honduras (theatrical)
- Hungary
- Ireland
- Israel
- Mexico (theatrical)
- Nicaragua (theatrical)
- Panama (theatrical)
- Peru (theatrical)
- Portugal
- Serbia
- Slovakia
- Slovenia
- United Kingdom
- Uruguay (theatrical)
- Venezuela (theatrical)
October 22:
- Bulgaria
- Canada
- China
- India
- Poland
- Romania
- South Africa
- Turkey
- United States (theatrical and HBO Max)
November 25:
- Argentina (HBO Max)
- Bolivia (HBO Max)
- Brazil (HBO Max)
- Chile (HBO Max)
- Colombia (HBO Max)
- Costa Rica (HBO Max)
- El Salvador (HBO Max)
- Guatemala (HBO Max)
- Honduras (HBO Max)
- Mexico (HBO Max)
- Nicaragua (HBO Max)
- Panama (HBO Max)
- Peru (HBO Max)
- Uruguay (HBO Max)
- Venezuela (HBO Max)
December 2:
- Australia
- New Zealand
We’ll continually update this list as more territories are announced. Do you have news regarding a confirmed release date (or change) in your country or region, that’s not listed above? Leave us a tip in the comments below or Tweet out to @DuneNewsNet.
Staggered International Rollout Explained
We first learned in February that Dune: Part One will be released earlier in some countries, and many films have followed similar (albeit less extended) approaches over the past year. A lot of this is attributed to different impact that the pandemic is having on the exhibition industry (closures, limited seating capacity, etc) in each territory. Another factor—specifically for Warner Bros.’ 2021 movies, releasing day-and-date in theaters and on HBO Max in the U.S.—is to offer a period of theatrical exclusivity.
In a recent La Presse interview with Villeneuve, the director confirmed that the pandemic and resulting movie slate delays (across the board) are causing crowded release calendars. This was a key consideration in this intentional decision to stagger Dune‘s international premieres, to maximize its chances for success at the box-office:
The idea was therefore to adjust the release dates in each territory in order to offer it the best possible space to show off. The film will be in theaters for a long time all over the world and I like this idea.
France was one of the first countries to confirm that they were maintaining their earlier September 15 premiere, despite the U.S. date moving back to October 22. Multiple countries, as per the above, have since followed suit or announced theirs for the first time.
It’s important to note that spread out release dates for movies are nothing new, although this current scenario—with domestic release lagging by over five weeks—is unusual. For a special event like Dune it would have been ideal for the global community to celebrate together, however we’re still living in difficult circumstances, beyond anyone’s control. For now, all we have to do is support the movie when/where it’s possible for us and look ahead to better days—hopefully well before Part Two arrives.
Sources: Warner Bros., SF Studios (Nordics), IMAX (Australia).