Dune: Part Three Holds First Small-Group Screenings, Early Word Is "Very Positive"
- Variety awards pundit Clayton Davis confirms Dune: Part Three held its first "intimate, small-group screenings" in the week before October 1, with early word described as "very positive".
- An earlier internal Warner Bros. screening in August showed a rough 3+ hour cut, and a source told World of Reel the room was "blown away".
- The film opens December 18, and Jeff Sneider expects the Best Picture race to come down to two titles: Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey and Dune: Part Three.
- Jason Momoa, returning as Duncan Idaho, has publicly pushed Timothee Chalamet's performance, calling it "maybe some of the best stuff I've seen anyone do, ever".
- Villeneuve has one Best Director nomination (Arrival, 2016) and was passed over for both earlier Dune films despite their Best Picture nods; World of Reel counts Dune: Part Three and Fincher's Cliff Booth as the last unseen Oscar contenders.