LOS ANGELES: Warner Bros said late Monday it is delaying the release of “Dune” and “The Batman” movies, another setback for the entertainment industry hit by COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns and social distancing measures that have closed theaters worldwide. “Dune,” a sci-fi movie directed by Canadian director Dennis Villeneuve, is now scheduled to open in October 2021, instead of December. The release of “The Batman,” starring Robert Pattinson, has been moved to the spring of 2022 from October next year. Movie releases have been getting delayed even after restrictions were eased, with people still wary of stepping into cinema halls, and many theaters still not operational. On Monday, the world’s second-biggest cinema chain, Cineworld, decided to temporarily close its UK and US movie theaters in an attempt to survive a collapse in film-making and cinema-going.