Legendary Entertainment/Warner Bros..' Dune: part two arrived higher with a $82.5 million opening. All thanks to a higher-than-expected Sunday of $21.65 million versus $20.3 million.
I hear Imax pre-sales are staying strong through next weekend as some moviegoers want to avoid the crowds and get the best seats. The Sandworm Epic follows a similar box office pattern to Oppenheimer; this film was down 43% in Weekend 2 for a $46.7 million take. There's a good chance that Universal/DreamWorks Animation Kung Fu Panda 4 wins the weekend at over $50 million, but expect a big second weekend in March. Some sources feared that Dune: part two would be loaded at the start of the period; that doesn't seem to be the case (knock on wood).
More confidence : Dune: part two seems to attract a younger audience, which is a very good sign that this feature film will be successful throughout the spring. The under-25 demographic overall appeared at 26% last weekend, according to PostTrak outputs from Screen Engine/Comscore.
Let's not forget the rehearsals either: almost half of those who saw the sequel directed by Denis Villeneuve this weekend said they were going to see it again in the cinema. And to the extent that Dunes 3 goes: Message to Legendary and Warner Bros, but 81% of PostTrak audiences say they want to see a threesome.
Worldwide for Dune: part two in Imax, it collected $32 million, the 7th biggest worldwide start for a large format film, behind Oppenheimer, and in front Avatar: The Way of Water in comparable markets (this James Cameron-directed sequel doing a worldwide Imax opening of $31.8 million).