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Movie theaters were looking for a savior and “ Dune: Part Two ”is keeping the promise. Armed with sandworms, big screen show and the star power of Timothée Chalamet, Denis Villeneuve The sci-fi epic stormed the North American box office this weekend, earning $81.5 million in ticket sales, according to studio estimates Sunday.
Internationally, it earned $97 million, bringing its worldwide debut to $178.5 million.
“Denis made a really extraordinary and special movie and it’s been really exciting to see people’s response,” said Mary Parent, producer of both “Dune” films and president of worldwide production at Legendary. “It was made for the big screen and it seems to be being received as a cinematic event.”
It’s the first big hit of 2024 and one that exhibitors desperately needed. Although there have been holdovers from December that have continued to win, like Warner Bros. “ Wonka ” (also starring Chalamet) and Sony’s romantic comedy “Anyone But You,” the box office is a little dry. In the first two months of 2024, no film surpassed $100 million domestically. The highest-grossing films have been “The Beekeeper,” “Bob Marley: One Love” and “Mean Girls.”
“Dune 2” rode a wave of excellent reviews (94% on Rotten Tomatoes) in a market that was essentially free of competition. Warner Bros. released it in 4,071 locations in the US and Canada, where audiences across the board gave it top ratings. Brands PostTrak and CinemaScore A. According to output data, men represented 59% of opening weekend ticket buyers and 64% were over 25 years old. The sequel was primarily financed by Legendary and its production budget, which was previously reported to be in the range of $122 million, is closer to $190 million.
“It really captured the market,” said Jeff Goldstein, president of domestic distribution at Warner Bros. “It’s a global cultural moment.”
Premium large format screens such as IMAX and 70mm accounted for 48% of opening weekend business. It marked a March record for IMAX, accounting for $18.5 million of the total gross. Villeneuve shot the film with IMAX cameras. Unlike ” oppenheimer”, was filmed digitally, but with extra time due to the delay of the strike. They were also able to make copies of movies. and the film format is proving a popular attraction for the public.
“Our flagship movie locations have been virtually sold out for weeks,” said IMAX CEO Rich Gelfond.
The debut, which grossed $81.5 million, is also a record for its director Villeneuve and stars Chalamet, Austin Butler and Rebecca Ferguson.
Originally planned for an October 2023 release, Warner Bros. moved the film up to March amid the hollywood strikes that would have prevented its star cast from doing the promotional circuit. The world promotional tour has been in full swing for about a month, generating conversation with lively interviews, the viral sandworm inspired popcorn bucket and surprising fashion moments from the young and stylish cast, peaking with Zendaya’s spectacular silver cyborg (old Mugler) in London. They have made stops in Mexico City, South Korea, Abu Dhabi and New York.
“We worked very hard to be ready for that (original) date, but we felt that, especially with this incredible cast, it was worth the wait,” Parent said.
Goldstein added that there was “a lot of debate” about whether or not to release it during the strikes, but they knew they needed the cast to “fully realize the movie.”
“You can’t make movie stars anywhere other than movie theaters,” Goldstein said. “Cinemas, on the big screen, with great sound and that shared experience, make a great star, or show the talent of a great star anyway.”
The first ” Dune ” was released under difficult conditions in October 2021. It was one of Warner Bros.’ last films.’ divisive plan to simultaneously release its main films in theaters and on its streaming platform. And still it was won 40 million dollars in its first weekend and went on to raise more than $400 million worldwide.
“Denis Villeneuve is right up there with Christopher Nolan as a filmmaker whose name alone inspires people to go to the movies,” said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst at Comscore.
This weekend, he added, “moves the needle in a big way.”
Coming into the weekend, the box office was down about 20% from the same point last year (when “Avatar: The Way of Water,” a 2022 release, was lifting things). The closest equivalent this year is “Wonka,” which is still a hit, but not as big as “Avatar 2.” After “Dune” weekend, the deficit will approach 13%.
“It shows how important a movie can be to the overall health of the industry,” Dergarabedian said. “But this is not a one-hit wonder in March. It’s an impulse business. “Now we’re going to pick up the wind as we move into March, April and the summer movie season.”
Warner Bros. is one of those studios that will be back soon with another big movie, “Godzilla x Kong” at the end of March, followed by “Furiosa” in May, the “Beetlejuice” sequel in September and the “Joker” sequel in October.
“This is our year,” Goldstein said. “Exhibitors are fighting for their lives, but we can be smart and collaborate with them to keep our business relevant to the public.”
Estimated ticket sales from Friday to Sunday at theaters in the United States and Canada, according to Comscore. Final national figures will be published on Monday.
1. “Dune: Part Two”, $81.5 million.
2. “Bob Marley: One Love,” $7.4 million.
3. “Ordinary Angels,” $3.9 million.
4. “Madame Web,” $3.2 million.
5. “The Chosen: Season 4, Episodes 7 and 8,” $3.2 million.
6. “Immigration, 2.5 million dollars.
7. “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba – To the Hashi”, $2.1 million.
8. “Wonka,” $1.7 million.
9. “Argylle,” $1.4 million.
10. “The Beekeeper”, $1.1 million.