The Marvels Won’t be Screend in IMAX Because of Dune
Disney’s humiliations keep piling up. On an earnings call (a transcript of which you can read here on Fool), IMAX CEO Richard Gelfond responded to concerns about Warner Bros. delaying the release of Dune: Part Two amid the actors’ and writers’ strikes. Gelfond attempted to assuage fears by saying that it would be disastrous of Warner Bros. to give up Dune: Part Two’s plumb IMAX commitment – “five or six weeks” – because the actors can’t appear on talk shows, citing the previous film’s increased box office take thanks to IMAX screens. But what’s most amusing is what Gelfond reveals at the beginning of his answer: The Marvels won’t be able to screen in IMAX because of their commitment to Dune: Part Two.
The first reason this is hilarious is because of the obvious snub. IMAX wouldn’t have made a deal like this if they were expecting The Marvels to do the kind of business Marvel movies used to do. It’s a sign of how far the MCU has fallen and how little fanfare this film has gotten even after the marketing push began in earnest. Second, for a movie that already looks like a flop, losing those expensive IMAX tickets is a big deal. The Marvels needs all the help it can get, and IMAX just closed the door on them (unless Dune: Part Two is delayed). Third, it’s a sign of people moving away from superhero movies and heading towards more (incoming loaded term, but that’s not how I mean it) diverse types of films. Oppenheimer and Barbie were indicative of this, and now IMAX is betting on a ponderous sci-fi movie based on a novel from the 60s over the latest Marvel/Disney comic book extravaganza. We’re a long way from wondering whether Dune would even make its money back. Finally, I don’t think anyone would argue that this isn’t for the best. Would you rather see those breathtaking shots of Arrakis from Denis Villeneuve or the cat alien wiggling its gelatinous tentacles in poorly-rendered CGI on a several-stories-high screen? A shift is happening, and it’s exciting to watch it play out in ways like this.
