Dune Crosses $100 Million at Domestic Box Office

Dune has crossed $100 million at the domestic box office and Warner Bros. has to be feeling great about that number. Fans of the movie hit theaters despite the lingering concern about attending screenings. The numbers on the first weekend were strong enough that WarnerMedia green-lighted a sequel on the following Monday. It has to be regarded as a win for director Denis Villeneuve, Timothee Chalamet, Zendaya, and the entire cast of the film. Over the last few decades, Dune has been regarded by most critics and fans of the novel as impossible to realize on film. But, a lot of people who had never read the book, but were curious, went out and took a chance on the sci-fi epic. That gamble continues to pay off in a climate not exactly hospitable to the film’s success.

Previously Villeneuve talked to Total Film about the prospects for a sequel. He was always very confident that he was going to get the chance to finish his story.

“We have been hearing in the past few decades that it’s not possible to adapt this book, and that it’s an impossible task. I think that in the back of the mind of the studio, it’s still the same!” Villeneuve explained. “So the first thing was to prove that there was a beautiful, popular movie that can exist, and I think that I proved that – everybody at Warner Bros and Legendary, they are 100 percent behind the project. They feel that it would need a really bad outcome at the box office to not have a Dune: Part Two, because they love the movie. They are proud of the movie, so they want the movie to move forward. And they still did half of it. So, you know, I’m very optimistic.”

“I’m writing [Part Two] now, and I feel like I’m eight years old again,” he revealed. “That’s very uncommon for me. It’s the first time I’ve experienced it where I’m watching one of my movies, and I have a moment of deep gratitude, of deep joy, and I say, ‘Thank you, life, for having allowed me to bring that to the screen.’ [laughs] I don’t know how other people will feel about it. But me? Denis Villeneuve when he was 14 years old? Thank you.”

Warner Bros. dropped a description of Dune:

“A mythic and emotionally charged hero’s journey, Dune tells the story of Paul Atreides, a brilliant and gifted young man born into a great destiny beyond his understanding, who must travel to the most dangerous planet in the universe to ensure the future of his family and his people. As malevolent forces explode into conflict over the planet’s exclusive supply of the most precious resource in existence—a commodity capable of unlocking humanity’s greatest potential—only those who can conquer their fear will survive.”

Are you stoked for Dune 2? Let us know down in the comments below!