First viewers praise Dune: Part Three as potential Oscar competitor to The Odyssey

Warner Bros. has held another round of closed screenings for the finale of Denis Villeneuve’s trilogy.

Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey” is considered one of the primary contenders for the next Oscars, but the film may now face a serious rival. Warner Bros. has begun holding closed screenings for “Dune: Part Three”, and the initial reactions to Denis Villeneuve’s final work on the franchise have turned out to be very positive.

According to Variety reporter Clayton Davis, screenings for small groups of viewers took place this week. Detailed reviews are not being published yet, but he described the early reaction as “very positive.” Against this background, “Dune 3” is already beginning to be included among the main contenders in the upcoming Oscar race. Insider Jeff Sneider believes that the battle for the Best Picture award could come down to two films: Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey” and Denis Villeneuve’s “Dune: Part Three”.

For Villeneuve, the upcoming awards race could represent another attempt to secure his first directorial nomination for a film in the “Dune” franchise. Both previous installments competed for the Oscar for Best Picture, but Villeneuve himself was not nominated for his direction.

The director received his only nomination in that category for “Arrival” in 2017, but the statuette went to Damien Chazelle for “La La Land”. “Arrival” itself competed for eight awards and won in only one category, with Sylvain Bellemare receiving the Oscar for Best Sound Editing.

“Dune: Part Three” will be released in theaters worldwide on December 18.