‘Dune: Part Three’ Reportedly “Blew Away" Warner Bros. With Rough 3-Hour Cut as New Teaser Stuns

Today, “Dune: Part Three” tickets went on sale, this time non-premium formats were made available, and it was all accompanied by a brand-new teaser—and the footage is stunning.

Linus Sandgren, a major advocate of film over digital, seems to be absolutely cooking here. This switch to film marks a significant departure from the first two ‘Dune’ instalments, both of which were shot digitally. While those films had a lush visual scope, they were still very much products of the digital era. With ‘Part Three,’ it seems Villeneuve is going for a more organic aesthetic, and it looks absolutely gorgeous.

Greig Fraser, who was cinematographer on Villeneuve’s first two ‘Dune’ movies, was replaced by the Oscar-winning Sandgren for this third chapter, a DP whose most notable work can be seen in “La La Land,” and “No Time to Die.”

Now, despite the headlines about endless queues on AMC’s site and the usual crashes—which I suspect have more to do with AMC’s website than actual demand—the fan rush appears much weaker than “The Odyssey,” let alone “Avengers: Doomsday,” whose pre-sales will likely be around four times higher than “Dune 3”’s.

Four months out, the early numbers point to “Doomsday” opening to $360–400M domestically, while “Dune 3” could reach $125M+. If it gets there, “Dune 3” would comfortably eclipse the $83M “Dune 2” made in its 2024 spring opening.

Now for the good news—and why we’re all here in the first place. Forget the business side for a moment: quality-wise, “Dune 3” is apparently “extraordinary.” I know my source is connected with Warner Bros., but you know what? I believe them. As I wrote a week ago in our newsletter, I’ve heard nothing but great things about Villeneuve’s “Dune: Part Three,” which was recently screened internally for Warner Bros. A rough, 3+ hour cut was shown, and the response couldn’t have been more positive. My source tells me the room was “blown away” by what they saw.

Right now, the film to beat at next year’s Oscars is Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey.” But Villeneuve would surely like to have a word come December 18.