“Dune: Part Two” rides these massive sandworms to the top of the box office charts.
Director Denis Villeneuve's big-budget sequel grossed $81.5 million in its domestic debut, giving struggling theaters a needed boost. It's the biggest opening weekend of the year and the biggest since the Taylor Swift concert film “The Eras Tour” last October ($93 million).
Buoyed by positive reviews and enthusiastic word of mouth (94% on Rotten Tomatoes and “A” CinemaScore), “Dune 2” appears to have expanded its fan base beyond science fiction fans and arrived at the higher end of expectations. Heading into the weekend, Warner Bros., the studio behind the supernatural epic, cautiously predicted a $65 million opening, even though most box office forecasters expected takings to top $80 million.
“Dune: Part Two” is particularly popular at Imax and other premium wide formats, with PLFs, as they are known in the industry, contributing a whopping 48% of the film’s domestic take. Imax alone accounted for $18.5 million in ticket sales, accounting for 23% of the market share. Demand for 70mm films – the director's preferred format – was so great that some brave moviegoers resorted to the 3:15 a.m. showing times. (Yes am)
Given the interest in the more expensive PLF screens, it looks like “Part Two” will have the legs to justify its expensive return to the desert planet Arrakis. The film, co-produced and co-financed by Legendary Entertainment, cost $190 million to produce and about $100 million more to bring to a global audience. Initial ticket sales for the sequel far exceeded those of the original “Dune,” which opened with $41 million in 2021 while also landing on HBO Max. “Part One” ended its run with $402 million worldwide, making it one of the few financial gains from the studio’s pandemic-era hybrid release strategy.
The sequel was originally scheduled to hit theaters last fall, but was pushed back to spring due to the actors' strike that prevented stars Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Florence Pugh and the rest of the sprawling, buzzy cast from promoting the film. On its new release date, the second “Dune” benefited from pent-up demand; There hasn't been a blockbuster in weeks.
The box office returns for Dune 2, following Warner's fantasy musical Wonka, seem to confirm that Chalamet is that rarest of breeds ever: 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 clever cinematic spectacles that can appeal to a wide audience.
While “Dune: Part Two” took up the majority of theaters, other films in theaters fought for what was left. A distant second was Paramount's musical biopic “Bob Marley: One Love,” which grossed $7.4 million from 3,390 theaters. The film, starring Kingsley Ben-Adir as the music legend, became a surprise box office success, grossing $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 locations. After two weeks on the big screen, the Lionsgate and Kingdom Story Company film has collected just $12 million. However, Ordinary Angels reportedly has a modest budget in the low double digits, which could help offset those lackluster earnings.
“Madame Web” continued to land at number 4 with $3.2 million in 3,116 theaters. Sony's “Spider-Man” spinoff, starring Dakota Johnson as a paramedic with psychic abilities, cost $80 million and has so far grossed a paltry $40 million domestically and just $50 million internationally.
Faith-based TV series “The Chosen” rounded out the top five with $3.1 million from 2,215 venues. Fathom Events released the series' fourth season exclusively in theaters with a two-week episode run, and this weekend's series included episodes seven and eight. Ticket sales fell slightly behind episodes four through six, which grossed $3.5 million. Episodes one through three, which grossed $6 million initially and $14 million during its run, declined sharply.
There's more to come…