"Dune: Part Two" stars Zendaya and Timothée Chalamet, based on the original 1965 novel about a battle on a desert planet to control a precious resource.

It's one of the most anticipated films of the year-- and the decision to delay it deals a blow to major theater chains still trying to recover from a three-year slump.

The Dune move has caused a ripple effect of further delays across the studios' release schedule.

A new Godzilla movie set to premiere the same day as Dune's new March 15 release date will be pushed to April and an animated Lord of the Rings film originally set for April was in turn moved to December next year.

The strike by the Writers Guild of America (WGA), which began May 2, has also shut down most production of scripted televisions shows and some movie shoots.

And since the SAG-AFTRA actors union joined the strike mid-July, top stars have refused to promote upcoming projects, forcing big movie studios, including Warner Brothers and Sony Pictures, to adjust their film schedules in the absence of celebrities to hit red carpets and talk shows to help build buzz.

Despite the major boost this summer from blockbuster smashes like "Barbie" and "Oppenheimer," overall moviegoing this year remains below pre-2020 levels.