So, just as I have both a fiduciary and creative responsibility to fulfill as the filmmaker, I call on AT&T to act swiftly with the same responsibility, respect and regard to protect this vital cultural medium. Not because the movie industry needs it, but because we humans need cinema, as a collective experience. Once the pandemic is over, theaters will be filled again with film lovers. Cinema on the big screen is more than a business, it is an art form that brings people together, celebrating humanity, enhancing our empathy for one another - it’s one of the very last artistic, in-person collective experiences we share as human beings. Since the dawn of time, humans have deeply needed communal storytelling experiences. I strongly believe the future of cinema will be on the big screen, no matter what any Wall Street dilettante says. The artists are the ones who create movies and series. Please know I am with you and that together we are strong. I’m speaking on my own behalf, though I stand in solidarity with the sixteen other filmmakers who now face the same fate. Our movie’s image and sound were meticulously designed to be seen in theaters. My team and I devoted more than three years of our lives to make it a unique big screen experience. “Dune” is by far the best movie I’ve ever made. Science tells us that everything should be back to a new normal next fall. The plan was that “Dune” would open in theaters in October 2021, when vaccinations will be advanced and, hopefully, the virus behind us. Which is why when it became apparent the winter would bring a second wave of the pandemic, I understood and supported the decision to delay “Dune’s” opening by almost a year. In truth, the horse left the barn for the slaughterhouse. This one is for the fans. AT&T’s John Stankey said that the streaming horse left the barn. might just have killed the “Dune” franchise. Warner Bros.’ decision means “Dune” won’t have the chance to perform financially in order to be viable and piracy will ultimately triumph. Streaming can produce great content, but not movies of “Dune’s” scope and scale. But I want the audience to understand that streaming alone can’t sustain the film industry as we knew it before COVID. Streaming services are a positive and powerful addition to the movie and TV ecosystems. has declared they are no longer on the same team. Filmmaking is a collaboration, reliant on the mutual trust of team work and Warner Bros. Warner Bros.’ sudden reversal from being a legacy home for filmmakers to the new era of complete disregard draws a clear line for me. 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. Therefore, even though “Dune” is about cinema and audiences, AT&T is about its own survival on Wall Street. It is all about the survival of a telecom mammoth, one that is currently bearing an astronomical debt of more than $150 billion. There is absolutely no love for cinema, nor for the audience here. With this decision AT&T has hijacked one of the most respectable and important studios in film history. has decided to release “Dune” on HBO Max at the same time as our theatrical release, using prominent images from our movie to promote their streaming service. Read through it and let us know what you think! Villeneuve wrote a strongly worded, but heartfelt letter to WarnerMedia blasting the direction that they have taken with his film and the others. But, now a lot of people are going to take the option to watch the film at home. Villeneuve is extremely proud of his upcoming film Dune, saying that it’s “by far the best movie I’ve ever made.” This is a film that he wants audiences to see on the big screen, that’s what the film was made for. This is an unprecedented move and while some audiences are happy with the move, directors like Denis Villeneuve, are extremely upset. WarnerMedia has been getting a lot of heat from filmmakers for its decision to release its 2021 slate of films on HBO Max and in theaters simultaneously.
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