Dune: Part Two set for release

Dune: Part Two, the upcoming epic under the helm of Denis Villeneuve, the iconic director known for his stylish combination of the sci-fi genre with distinctive arthouse flavor, is set to open across Chinese mainland theaters in multiple formats, including IMAX on Friday.

Continuing from where it leaves off in the first Dune movie released three years ago, the film — which is set in the far future, envisioning interstellar travel as a regular practice — continues to narrate the saga of Paul Atreides, the protagonist and sole heir of House Atreides, an aristocratic family massacred in a brutal plot orchestrated by a rival noble family secretly supported by the emperor.

Atreides and his pregnant mother find shelter and become members of the Fremen, the indigenous tribes inhabiting the fictional desert planet Arrakis. Gaining the trust of the local people by fighting alongside them against the invading army controlled by the Harkonnen family, who are responsible for the murder of Atreides' father and the destruction of his family, Atreides rises to seek revenge and ultimately forces the emperor to be accountable for his unjust decision.

With American-French actor Timothee Chalamet reprising his role as Atreides, the cast also features actresses Rebecca Ferguson and Zendaya Coleman, respectively portraying the protagonist's mother and a Fremen warrior who becomes the lifelong love of the protagonist.

A special screening of the franchise, featuring the first installment and the upcoming sequel, was held in a downtown theater in Beijing on Wednesday, attracting many fans and industry insiders.

In contrast to the first 155-minute-long movie, which included over an hour of scenes shot with the IMAX aspect ratio, Villeneuve's latest directorial project was entirely filmed in IMAX, aiming to provide the audience with stronger immersive experience.

Dune: Part Two was released in the United States on March 1, setting a record for IMAX films' opening-week box office as it was released in 43 overseas markets within three months.

Villeneuve, who was scheduled to visit Beijing to promote his film, sent a video — which was released before the special screening — explaining that his trip was temporally canceled due to health reasons and that he will come to the country once he has recovered.