I’m sorry, what? Four anonymous Oscar voters admitted they didn’t see ‘Dune: Part Two’
I guess Timothée Chalamet’s legendary press tour wasn’t enough to get everyone watching one of his best films. Four anonymous Oscar voters said they didn’t even see Dune: Part Two leading into this year’s Academy Awards.
Entertainment Weekly spoke with a director, writer, publicist, and casting director about their ballot picks for Best Picture, Best Director, and more ahead of the 2025 Academy Awards. While Chalamet’s A Complete Unknown and other nominees like Anora, Emilia Pérez, Wicked, and The Substance keep the buzz coming leading up, all four anonymous voters told EW they hadn’t seen Dune: Part Two, which is nominated for five awards, including Best Picture. I’ll say it again: I’m sorry, what?
To be clear, voters can abstain from ranking ballot picks they haven’t seen. Other pictures that went under the radar include Nickel Boys, I’m Still Here, and The Substance, with Dune: Part Two being the only film none of the voters who spoke with EW had taken the time to watch.
The reason given for sitting out Denis Villeneuve’s smash sequel? The first installment was “boring.” One voter said, “The first Dune, I couldn’t get through; I’m not rushing for another three hours of Dune.” Hot take, but if you’re in no rush to watch the Oscar-nominated film, maybe don’t rush to vote, either. Obviously, there’s a lot wrong with this trend and, as you might expect, the reveal has caused quite the stir.
Why vote if you haven’t seen all the films that were nominated? This is the big question on everyone’s minds, as you’d assume voter qualifications would at least require that much. Not only does this hurt how Dune: Part Two, Nickel Boys, and others will perform but it also continues to fuel criticism surrounding awards shows like the Oscars, the credibility of which has been questioned in recent years and is once again a major topic of debate among commenters.
Dune: Part Two…rules though
Dune: Part Two, the sequel to Denis Villeneuve’s sci-fi epic Dune (2021), saw Chalamet return as Paul Atreides alongside Zendaya (Chani), Rebecca Ferguson (Jessica), and newcomers Austin Butler (Feyd-Rautha) and Florence Pugh (Princess Irulan). The film grossed over $80 million in its opening weekend at North American box offices, doubling the previous film’s initial earnings and going on to top $700 million worldwide by April 2024, per reporting by The Hollywood Reporter and Variety.
Outside its massive earnings at the box office, both critic and audience reviews for Dune 2 exceeded those of the first film, with Part Two’s Tomatometer sitting at 92% and its Popcornmeter at 95% on Rotten Tomatoes. Since it hit streaming on Max in May of last year, you’d be hard-pressed to find anyone who hasn’t seen the second installment in Villeneuve’s developing trilogy based on Frank Herbert’s novels. Somehow, EW found four.
All eyes have been on Chalamet, whose refreshing SAG Award speech and ongoing Oscar run for Dune 2 and A Complete Unknown have made new fans of many movie-goers in recent months. Whether you’re gunning for Chalamet or his competitors this award season, don’t make the same mistake as anonymous voters; you can steam each of this year’s biggest nominees before the awards air.
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