DUNE: PROPHECY Moves to HBO as Part of ‘Rebrand’ Strategy
By Movieguide® Contributor
Max Originals THE PENGUIN and DUNE: PROPHECY have been moved to HBO as part of a new rebranding strategy from Warner Bros. Discovery.
“We felt like we had to delineate between an HBO show and a Max show,” HBO and Max content CEO Casey Bloys explained. “The idea of using Warner Bros. IP as a delineation for Max felt right. At least that gives you a clear lane. But as we started producing those shows, we were using the same methods, the same kind of thinking, as how we would approach HBO shows. In a lot of cases, the same talent that has worked on HBO shows.”
THE PENGUIN will focus on Batman villain The Penguin, played by Colin Farrell, who is reprising his role from 2022’s THE BATMAN.
DUNE: PROPHECY “follows two Harkonnen sisters as they combat forces that threaten the future of humankind, and establish the fabled sect that will become known as the Bene Gesserit,” per Deadline.
These aren’t the only shows that have quietly shifted from Max content to HBO. Earlier this year, LANTERNS and WELCOME TO DERRY were also moved from Max to HBO.
“It is part of a strategy to rebrand its highest profile titles into HBO Originals, giving them a linear airing on the premium cable network as well as a streaming bow,” Deadline reported, adding that the shows will premiere on HBO as well as launch on Max.
It’s not surprising WBD would want to elevate these series to HBO originals. The movies THE PENGUIN and DUNE: PROPHECY spun off from were massively popular, especially DUNE and its sequel. Movieguide® previously reported on DUNE: PART TWO:
DUNE: PART TWO continues to hold strong as the biggest box office hit for 2024 so far.
According to Slash Film, “Warner Bros. and Legendary production has now amassed $252.6 million domestically to go with $373.7 million internationally for a grand total of $626.3 million. Given that the first DUNE made just over $400 million in its original run, that’s mighty impressive. Not to mention that the IMAX re-release of DUNE brought in more than $30 million earlier this year, bringing that film’s running total to $431 million.”
This means the DUNE franchise has now exceeded $1 billion between DUNE and DUNE: PART TWO.
PART TWO has made its mark overseas. It’s earned $43 million in China, $38 million in the United Kingdom, $31 million in France, $30 million in Germany and $17 million in Australia.