Dune: Part Two is off to a fantastic start, even doubling its box office revenue in comparison to the first film.
The hype was huge for Dune: Part Two, and now, after a significant delay caused by the writers and actors strikes last year that pushed it back from November 2023 to March 2024, the film has been released. And it's off to an amazing start. In fact, Dune 2 can already safely be described as a hit. In North America alone, Dune 2 has already earned a staggering $81.5 million at the box office in only three days.
Dune 2 Opening Twice As Successful As The First Film’s
For comparison, the first Dune film by Denis Villeneuve earned around $41 million in its opening weekend in North America. The sequel has managed to double that, according to Deadline. Globally, the film is reported to have earned $178.5 million over the first three-days.
This means that Dune: Part Two is close to earning back its production budget of around $190 million. You have to put at least $100 million for marketing costs on top of that to come out at the full cost of the movie, which amounts to at least $290 million. However, Dune 2 is well on its way to earn that amount in the box office by the end of this week.
The predecessor was released in theaters on September 15, 2021, and is said to have earned around $430 million globally, despite appearing on HBO Max shortly after the theatrical release due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Considering that the sequel is set to have a much larger release, it’s safe to say that it will overtake the first films box office success.
While a third movie has not been officially greenlit yet, director Denis Villeneuve has made it clear that he definitely wants to make a movie based on Dune: Messiah. Considering the massive success of the second film in the series, it can be expected that the producers at Warner Bros. and Legendary Entertainment will grant him his wish.