The world premiere was on 13 July 2017 at Odeon Leicester Square in London.[103][104] The film was theatrically released on 21 July,[105] projected on IMAX 70mm, digital, 70 mm and 35 mm film.[106] It is the fourth Nolan film to be released in the third week of July, a period in which Warner Bros. Pictures has previously achieved success.[107] It was Nolan's preference that the film opened in July instead of the northern-hemisphere autumn awards season.[108] The film was initially screened in 125 theatres in 70 mm,[109][110][111] the widest release in that format in twenty-five years.[112]
Dunkirk received a special IMAX screening at the 2017 Toronto International Film Festival, the first Nolan film to appear at the festival since Following, nineteen years earlier. This screening also coincided with the 50th anniversary of IMAX.[113] After its original release of 126 days,[12] the film was re-released in fifty IMAX and 70 mm theatres on 1 December, expanding to 250 additional cities in January 2018.[114]
Home media
Dunkirk was released digitally on 12 December 2017, and on 4K, Blu-ray and DVD on 18 December 2017 in the United Kingdom and 19 December 2017 in the United States.[115][116]
Marketing
The announcement teaser debuted in cinemas ahead of Suicide Squad[117] and was released online on 4 August 2016.[118] According to data analytics firm ListenFirst Media, it generated the most Twitter engagement of any trailer released that week.[119] The first full-length trailer was released on 14 December 2016,[120] alongside a five-minute[121] cinema-exclusive prologue shown before selected IMAX screenings of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.[122] Dunkirk was the most discussed film that week according to media measurement firm Comscore.[123] The prologue returned for a week before selected IMAX showings of Kong: Skull Island.[124] Footage from the film was well received at CinemaCon 2017.[125]
Warner Bros. aired a TV spot to coincide with the 2017 US national basketball playoffs.[126] The official trailer was released on 5 May 2017, after a countdown on the film's website[127][128] and four 15-second teasers leading up to it.[129] Dunkirk was again the most discussed film that week according to ComScore.[130] The video game developer Wargaming included in its titles World of Tanks, World of Warships and World of Warplanes missions and rewards related to the film.[131] On 6 July, Warner Bros. released another trailer, which for the third time was the most discussed film of the week.[132] The prologue was shown at selected Wonder Woman IMAX screenings in July.[133][134] It also toured three European countries with a mobile cinema.[135]
Sue Kroll, president of Warner Bros. Worldwide Marketing and Distribution, said that it was important that Dunkirk be marketed as a summer event movie as opposed to a period war film, to highlight its "magnificent scale and originality". This strategy was maintained throughout the campaign. To convince audiences that the film was best experienced in theatres, the prologue was never made available online. TV spots were distributed sporadically during sports games and notable television series to establish the film's themes. Social media infographics described the scale and importance of the Dunkirk evacuation. Additionally, a Google 360 Experience interactive adventure, an Amazon Alexa programme and a 360-degree short film, were created. In partnership with fast food restaurant Carl's Jr., the film was branded on four million cups, as well as pop-ups at nearly 3,000 locations.[129] Research saw the film appeal to twenty per cent of infrequent moviegoers.[136]
