“Dune: part two“ride these huge sandworms to the top of the box office charts.
Director Denis Villeneuve's big-budget sequel raked in $81.5 million in its domestic debut and provided a powerful and needed boost to struggling movie theaters. It's the biggest opening weekend of the year and the biggest since Taylor Swift's concert film “The Eras Tour” last October ($93 million).
Backed by positive reviews and glowing word of mouth (it has a 94% on Rotten Tomatoes and “A” CinemaScore), “Dune 2” appears to have expanded its fan base beyond sci-fi enthusiasts and is arrived at the peak of expectations. . Heading into the weekend, Warner Bros., the studio behind the supernatural epic, was cautiously forecasting a $65 million debut for the film, even though most box office prognosticators thought the revenues would exceed $80 million.
Like the first film, “Dune: Part Two” is particularly popular in Imax and other major premium formats. PLFs, as they are known in the industry, contributed 48% of the film's domestic total. Meanwhile, Imax accounted for $18.5 million in ticket sales, or 23% market share. The demand for watching films in 70mm – the director's preferred format – is so strong that some brave moviegoers have I used the 3:15 a.m. schedule. (Yes I am)
With interest in these more expensive PLF displays, “Part Two” appears to have the legs to justify its expensive return to the desert planet of Arrakis. The film, co-produced and co-financed by Legendary Entertainment, cost $190 million to produce and approximately $100 million more to promote to global audiences. Initial ticket sales for the sequel far outpaced those of “Dune,” which opened in 2021 to $41 million while simultaneously landing on HBO Max. “Part One” finished its run with $402 million worldwide, making it one of the only financial victories of the studio's pandemic-era hybrid release strategy.
The sequel was originally scheduled to hit the big screen last fall, but it was delayed until spring due to the actors' strike, which kept stars Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Florence Pugh and the rest of the sprawling, bustling cast from being able to promote the film. On its new release date, the second “Dune” benefited from pent-up demand; there hasn't been a blockbuster since weeks.
Opening earnings for “Dune 2”, on the heels of Warner's fantasy musical “Wonka” seem to confirm Chalamet as that rarest of species: a bankable leading man. And outsized commercial results could position Villeneuve, with the possible exception of Christopher Nolan, as the filmmaker best able to deliver the kind of intelligent big-screen spectacles capable of appealing to wide audiences.
While “Dune: Part 2” took up the majority of the oxygen at the multiplexes, other theatrical films fought for the scraps. In a far In second place, Paramount's musical biopic “Bob Marley: One Love” added $7.4 million from 3,390 theaters. The film, starring Kingsley Ben-Adir as the music legend, became a surprise box office hit with $82.7 million in North America and $146 million worldwide.
Hilary Swank's inspirational drama “Ordinary Angels” remained in third place with $3.8 million from 3,020 shoots. After two weeks on the big screen, the Lionsgate and Kingdom Story Company film has only grossed $12 million. However, “Ordinary Angels” reportedly has a modest double-digit budget, which could help make up for those mediocre revenues.
In fourth place, “Madame Web” continued to stutter with $3.2 million from 3,116 theaters. Sony's “Spider-Man” spinoff, starring Dakota Johnson as a paramedic with psychic abilities, cost $80 million and has grossed a paltry $40 million domestically to date and $50 million internationally.
Faith-based TV series “The Chosen” rounds out the top five with $3.1 million from 2,215 theaters. Fathom Events rolled out season 4 of the series exclusively to theaters with two-week runs of episodes, and this weekend's broadcast included episodes seven and eight. Ticket sales were slightly lower for episodes four through six, which grossed $3.5 million. They were down sharply from episodes one through three, which generated $6 million initially and $14 million during its run.
More soon…