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It is a blessing from “Dune” for the box office. “Dune: Part Two” landed with an impressive opening day gross of $32.1 million in 4,071 theaters, a figure that also includes $12 million from Thursday night and previous event preview screenings.
That’s already the biggest opening weekend of the year, surpassing the three-day total of $28.6 million for “Bob Marley: One Love.” “Dune: Part Two” also nearly matched the $41 million debut its predecessor achieved in October 2021, when Warner Bros. simultaneously released the film on its streamer (né HBO Max) and the theatrical landscape was still in a state. of great agitation. rebuild as COVID lockdowns eased. Even with those caveats, however, it’s a notable step forward for a heady, epic-length sequel.
The question now is how high “Dune” can go. Heading into the weekend, industry projections for the Denis Villeneuve-directed film had estimated an opening of between $70 million and $80 million, a range the film has a good chance of hitting. A significant percentage of ticket sales are expected to come from formats such as Imax and Dolby, as there is strong consumer appeal in seeing “Dune” in a premium large format auditorium. That increase in ticket prices helps increase gross receipts, but the limited number of screenings can also lead some moviegoers to delay going to theaters in order to get the right seat in front of a gigantic screen. That may hold back viewership now, but it could create some strengths for “Dune” in the future. And it will need it, considering its $190 million production budget.
“Dune: Part Two” will also hit Imax screens for three weeks before “Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire” hits theaters. That’s a sizable window that Warner Bros. hopes to take advantage of.
Also auspicious for a long theatrical career, “Part Two” is practically the best-reviewed film of the year so far. Variety Chief film critic Peter Debruge praised it for offering “a satisfaction that few films can offer.” “It is a huge bet, given the expense involved in creating on this scale, and a vote of confidence in cinema.” Audiences are liking it, too, as indicated by the “A” rating from audience polling firm Cinema Score. (The first “Dune” got an A-.)
Adapted from Frank Herbert’s seminal science fiction novel, “Dune: Part Two” sees Timothée Chalamet return as Paul Atreides, a messianic royal who leads an army against a rival clan on the extremely lucrative desert planet Arrakis. Zenday, Rebecca Ferguson, Josh Brolin, Stellan Skarsgard, Javier Bardem and Dave Bautista return from the first film, while Austin Butler, Florence Pugh, Christopher Walken, Lea Seydoux and Anya Taylor-Joy are new additions to the cast.
In a distant second place, Paramount’s “Bob Marley: One Love” appears to be still playing after grossing $1.9 million. on Friday, only 48% less than last week. The musical biopic is projected to surpass its $80 million domestic gross on Saturday, with a potential $100 million-plus finish still in the cards.
Lionsgate’s “Ordinary Angels” aims for third place with a projected figure of 3.7 million dollars. The religious drama will surpass the $10 million gross this weekend. Fifth place should go to Sony’s “Madame Web,” which won’t even gross $3 million in its third weekend. The Marvel Comics adaptation likely won’t top $40 million domestically after 17 days of release, a definite result for a superhero entry with a budget north of $80 million.
And Paul Atreides isn’t the only messiah hitting the big screen this weekend. Fourth place should go to Fathom Events’ release of the final two episodes of “The Chosen” season 4. This follows theatrical showings of the season’s first three episodes on February 2 and three more episodes on February 16. Those two previous groups together raised $11.7 million, a sum that this season finale event will now add to. Fathom’s releases of “The Chosen” have been a specific but reliable draw in recent years and season 4 has proven to be another fruitful endeavor.