Dune: Part Two Box Office Tracking for $65 Million+ Opening Weekend, Outpacing Oppenheimer

Dune: Part Two is tracking for a healthy box office opening of $65+ million opening weekend, according to the latest projections, three weeks before its release. 

At the time of writing this, Dune: Part Two is being looked at as the first premium piece of theatrical blockbuster content to come along since 2024 began. As such, analysts are predicting that there will be a big rush of moviegoers when the sequel hits theaters. 

One telling sign is that advanced ticket sales for Dune: Part Two are apparently outpacing those for Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer. Nolan's biopic went on to earn an opening weekend box office of $82.5 million; Dune: Part Two's $65 million projected opening is therefore being looked at as a conservative estimate, with more optimistic projections ranging into the $75-80 million range. 

It's noted that Dune: Part Two is testing well as a four-quadrant movie, which tracks. Stars like Timothée Chalamet, Austin Butler, Florence Pugh, and Zendaya are massive draws for the Gen Z TikTok crowd, while adult moviegoers and even older ones will be interested in catching an Awards-worthy blockbuster; more of this reimagined version of Dune, and/or one of their favorite stars from an ensemble that also includes Rebbecca Ferguson (Mission: Impossible 7), Josh Brolin (Avengers: Infinity War), Javier Bardem (No Country for Old Men), Dave Bautista (Guardians of the Galaxy) and Christopher Walken (Wedding Crashers) while cinephiles will pay the premium price to catch the film in IMAX or the rare 70mm IMAX prints that Oppenheimer also used to boost its box office. 

The other big factor here is time. It will have been two-and-a-half years since Dune (2021) came out – but that may have actually helped Warner Bros. and Villeneuve. Dune won 6 Oscars in 2022 after receiving a whopping ten nominations, validating WB's bet that the film operates as both a box office blockbuster and awards prestige film. Dune has also had several high-profile streaming releases – from its initial simul-release in theaters and on HBO Max, to its recent run on Netflix, where it cracked the Top 10 for a good run of weeks back in the fall and holiday season stretch. It showed that there is still a hunger for the franchise – and for the sequel chapter. 

Dune: Part Two will explore the mythic journey of Paul Atreides as he unites with Chani and the Fremen while on a warpath of revenge against the conspirators who destroyed his family. Facing a choice between the love of his life and the fate of the known universe, he endeavors to prevent a terrible future only he can foresee. 

The big-screen epic Dune: Part Two includes Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson, Josh Brolin, Austin Butler, Florence Pugh, Dave Bautista, Christopher Walken, Stephen McKinley Henderson, and Léa Seydoux, with Stellan Skarsgård, Charlotte Rampling, and Javier Bardem. Denis Villeneuve directed from a screenplay he co-wrote with Jon Spaihts based on Frank Herbert's iconic novel. 

Via: Deadline