Denis Villeneuve's Dune has had an extra spicy weekend at the box office, outperforming expectations
in the US and continuing its run internationally, quickly becoming a success story
that the naysayers can't even argue against.
But can it sustain this growth long term and put in place the blueprints of a franchise
to make a Dune Part 2 possible and how well do I
think the film will have done once its time in theatres is finally up.
In this video, I'm going to be discussing the box office results and what I think towards
there being that sequel along with giving you my prediction on the
global number the film could make at the box office.
But before I get into it, if you want to keep up to date on any of my future content on
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But without further ado, let's dive into the box office results from the opening weekend
of Denis Villeneuve's Dune.
So there’s been some uncertainty about what would happen with Dune.
Fortunately for Warner Bros, it seems like Denis Villeneuve latest film is doing pretty
well for its opening theatrical run.
Deadline reported that the new adaptation of Frank Herbert’s seminal novel has earned
$40.1 million in its first weekend, also making it the highest domestic opening of Villeneuve’s
career.
Previously tracked for a range of $30-35 million with some saying it would battle to scrape
past $25 million, it’s ahead of expectations and is now the
8th film from Warner Bros this year to open #1 at the box office.
It has been out internationally for weeks now, but this weekend it earned $87.5 million,
and its total has reached $220.7 million globally.
Much of it, can be attributed to IMAX and other large-format screens, apparently accounting
for 50% of the opening weekend.
Villeneuve’s been certainly adamant for the past few months that viewers should experience
Dune in a theatre for the true immersion, even as it’s also being released on HBO
Max.
This movie was one of the bigger selling points to get a Max subscription when the studio
announced the dual-streaming plan for these pandemic times, and it seems to have mostly
lived up to the hype with fans and critics.
Time will of course tell if it will be enough to ensure a sequel that Villeneuve is hoping
he’ll get to make.
It’s especially a great start given the ongoing pandemic and the Warner
Bros strategy that was put in place.
In a milestone for the studio, it landed the biggest three-day tally for them since the
company began its day-and-date strategy on HBO Max.
Godzilla vs. Kong, which scored a then-pandemic record of $31 million in April,
previously held that mark.
In the months that followed, anticipated Warner Bros movies, such as The Suicide Squad, Space
Jam: A New Legacy and In the Heights, failed to live up to box office expectations while
being offered concurrently on the streaming service HBO Max.
But Warner Bros does plan to return to exclusive theatrical releases in 2022 after the dissapointment
of this system in general contexts and the theatrical numbers are proving that this is
the right way to go, and let's be honest, it's the right thing that should be done,
even if it takes them a while to see that.
And at the international box office, Dune collected another $47.4 million, boosting
its overseas total to $180 million.
As I said, the film has grossed $220 million globally to date
and inaugural ticket sales for the film arrived at the higher end of expectations, which is
notable because even before the pandemic upended the movie theatre business, such cerebral
science fiction adventures have been struggling at the North American box office.
Dune, in particular, is a property that has been notoriously difficult to adapt.
However, director Denis Villeneuve’s version has been well-reviewed,
landing an 83% Rotten Tomatoes score and an A- CinemaScore compared to David Lynch’s
1984 take, which flopped in theatres and didn't get a great response from viewers.
Since it obviously has become a cult film and I personally like elements within it but
it's no comparison to the beast that Denis has cooked up with
his latest project.
“I’m smiling,” Warner Bros president of domestic distribution said on Sunday morning.
“Exhibitors are thrilled.
The best part is, fans are loving what they’re seeing.
They’re loving the big-screen experience.
It’s been a winner of a weekend for movie-lovers.”
And film critics, respectable or not, encouraged audiences to seek out Dune and its dazzling
visual effects on the big screen, and many among fans of Herbert’s 1965 novel have
contributed.
So will ticket sales be enough to justify a Dune sequel?
Well, given the film’s hefty $165 million price tag, not to mention the millions spent
to market it as a cinematic event, it’s unclear if box office revenues alone will
be enough to warrant a return to the desert land of Arrakis.
Dune will of course have to perform very well on HBO Max to convince the studio it should
inject another $150 million-plus to complete the star-studded interplanetary tale and it
will need legs at the theatres.
But in an interview with Variety this week, WarnerMedia chair Ann Sarnoff said plans for
the sequel will be based on “the entirety of what ‘Dune’ can do for the company,
including HBO Max.”
She added, “The story in itself sets up for a sequel.
The production is so amazing and the storytelling is so compelling that it’s not going to
be judged on box office alone.”
But let's be honest, watching Dune in a theatre is the way it's meant to be seen and
to see audiences being enthusiastic in doing so, is nothing but good news.
So now the question is, are these good numbers and how much will
the film have to make in order for it to be deemed a success.
Well, I think these are pretty incredible numbers considering the landscape, the fact
that it was only predicted to make just over half the number it did and also
the fact that from week to week internationally, its percentage drop has been very good.
This is why the film has managed to make $220 million-plus because audiences like the film
and it has encouraged them to revisit the world multiple times.
Having watched the film twice in IMAX this week I can say that both screenings were
shockingly packed and I think the word of mouth is only going to grow from here.
But hopefully, the week to week percentage drop carries through to America because the
HBO Max thing is definitely going to lower that.
But then I guess you could say that WB is happy enough to see it excel on that platform
too.
So with this in mind, how much do I think the movie will eventually make in total.
Well considering that for a film of this size to make a profit it has to double its budget
plus earn a bit more based on extra that is spent to make
the movie, Dune has made $350 million or more, give or take, for it to be deemed profitable.
It's currently made 220, with nearly 40% of that coming from the last 3 days as it has
been released in bigger markets.
So to me, it's all down to the legs the film has over its 2nd and 3rd weekend.
If the film performs similar to how it has internationally in terms of smaller percentage
drops, then I think we could be looking at a $400-500 million dollar range with its performance.
I'm predicting that it will be somewhere within $400-450 million
dollars when it's all set and done and that would honestly be an incredible number for
it to take.
It could be lower or higher, but this start definitely calls for success given how predictions
were much lower in the buildup to its release.
At the end of the day, we'll have to see, but so far it is exceeding expectations and
laying the foundation for a big franchise of box office potential to come and it also
gets me thinking even deeper, about how much more this film could have made on top of this
if it wasn't being streamed on HBO Max.
I personally think we would be looking at the $55-60 million range if that was the case,
but either way, this is a fantastic start for a film that many looked at and considered
being a huge flop.
With this news, I have to send a big congratulations to everyone who made this incredible film
and put so much hard work into releasing it.
And $40 million at the U.S. box office when it’s available in most homes on HBO Max
is an astounding achievement when looking at just the beginning of this journey.
But that was my video discussing the box office performance for Denis Villeneuve's Dune and
things are looking very bright for the potential franchise and longevity of the property.
It's going to be interesting to see how the film holds up and if it has legs going forward,
but the percentage drops internationally from week to week have shown that this film is
being consistent which is something that surprisingly
we didn't expect.
I still think it will be a challenge to keep this going in the US especially with HBO Max,
but like the studio said, if this film performs well on the platform equally,
then we are looking at good signs for that discussed sequel.
I really want to see Dune Part 2 and with everything detailed before, I
think it's very likely we will see that happen.
But what do you think of the current box office for Denis Villeneuve's Dune and how much do
you think it will make by the time it ends its run in theatres.
Let me know down below in the comments section.
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