“Dune Part Two” Worms its Way to $182.5M WW Box Office Opening Weekend

The Cast of Dune: Part Two with Director Denis Villeneuve (4th from Left)

Image courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures Philippines

Unless you’ve been living under a rock (or a sand dune), you’ve probably heard that Denis Villeneuve’s latest masterpiece Dune: Part Two has released in theatres. The sequel to 2021’s Dune, the story continues the journey of Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet) as he tries to integrate himself and his mother Lady Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson) into the culture of the Fremen people, led by Stilgar (Javier Bardem) and Chani (Zendaya). At the same time, he tries to deal with visions of an impending apocalypse that he may or may not have a hand in starting.

The film debuted starting the 28th of February worldwide, and the 1st of March in theatres across the United States, and what a debut it has been! According to Deadline Hollywood, Dune: Part Two has earned $182.5M, up from the estimated $175M from last Saturday’s report. Stateside, the film has amassed a cume of $82.5M, complemented by a box-office take of $100.02M in 71 other markets. Globally, the film performed the best in the United Kingdom ($11.8M), France ($9.8M), Germany ($9.1M), South Korea ($6.8M), and Australia ($5.9M).

These numbers are considered as a triumph for those who have constantly heralded the power of theatrical release and large-format presentations (eg.: IMAX, Dolby Cinema), like Part Two's director Villeneuve. According to a report by Variety, PLF (Premium Large Format) venues accounted for 48% of the total numbers so far, up from the 47% from last summer’s critical and box-office blockbuster Oppenheimer. Like the Christopher Nolan epic, the continuing saga of Paul Atreides drummed up cinema attendance after a bleak summer that saw the occurrence of the 2023 WGA/SAG-AFTRA Strike that has resulted in many highly-anticipated titles seeing their early 2024 release be delayed to later in the year or to 2025 entirely/

This is also a huge win for cinema operators, who have been lamenting the lack of tentpole releases that drum up huge receipts like the halcyon days of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. However, theatre operators are optimistic. “What a difference a weekend makes,” said senior Comscore analyst Paul Dergarabedian in the Variety report. “Better late than never.” Says David A. Gross, who runs the movie consulting firm Franchise Entertainment Research: “‘Dune’ and next weekend’s “Kung Fu Panda 4″ should turn the page on 2024’s cold start. But overall, it’s going to take time to refill the pipeline and adjust to shifting tastes.”

What do you think of this news, Cinegeeks? Have you seen Dune: Part Two yet? How many times have you seen it already? Sound off in the comments section below!

Watch the Trailer here: