Dune Is Biggest Opening of the Pandemic for Warner Bros.

By Jamie Lovett - October 24, 2021 11:46 am EDT

Dune is Warner Bros.'s biggest opening of the pandemic, even while participating in the studio's simultaneous HBO Max release program. It's also the biggest opening weekend of director Denis Villeneuve's career. Dune earned $17.5 million on its first day at the box office, the best for any HBO Max simultaneous release. Analysts now project a $40-million opening weekend gross at the domestic box office. This strong performance, along with a solid overseas debut, explains why the sequel seems likely to get Warner Bros.'s greenlight. Time will tell whether the film will reach $100 million domestic, as Godzilla vs. Kong is the only HBO Max dual release to achieve that number thus far.

Dune has been well-received by critics. ComicBook.com's Nicole Drum gave the film a 4-out-of-5 score in her review. She writes:

"Even with the missteps and the half-finished feel of having to wait for a 'Part Two' -- something that, at this point, isn't even a guarantee -- Dune is a genuinely fantastic film and truly a cinematic experience. The best and closest adaptation of Herbert's novel to date, a truly sumptuous and decadent visual affair, even with a bit of discomfort in terms of the hero versus the ones needing a hero, Dune is an absolute vision given life. Here's to hoping we aren't left just dreaming of more."

The new animated movie Ron's Gone Wrong finds itself opening in the middle of the pack. Wes Anderson's latest, The French Dispatch, comes close to the rear. The rest is primarily familiar films from the past few weeks, including Halloween Kills and No Time to Die.

What do you think of Dune's strong opening at the box office? Let us know in the comments, and keep reading to see this week's complete list of top 10 films at the box office.

1. Dune

Opening Weekend
Total: $40.1 million

Paul Atreides, a brilliant and gifted young man born into a great destiny beyond his understanding, 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, only those who can conquer their own fear will survive.

Denis Villeneuve directs Dune from a screenplay by he co-wrote with Jon Spaihts and Eric Roth. based on Frank Herbert's 1965 novel of the same name. The film's cast includes Timothée Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson, Oscar Isaac, Josh Brolin, Stellan Skarsgård, Dave Bautista, Stephen McKinley Henderson, Zendaya, David Dastmalchian, Chang Chen, Sharon Duncan-Brewster, Charlotte Rampling, Jason Momoa, and Javier Bardem.

2. Halloween Kills

Week Two
Weekend: $14.5 million
Total: $73.1 million

The nightmare isn't over as unstoppable killer Michael Myers escapes from Laurie Strode's trap to continue his ritual bloodbath. Injured and taken to the hospital, Laurie fights through the pain as she inspires residents of Haddonfield, Ill., to rise up against Myers. Taking matters into their own hands, the Strode women and other survivors form a vigilante mob to hunt down Michael and end his reign of terror once and for all.

David Gordon Green directs Halloween Kills from a story he wrote with Danny McBride and Scott Teems. The film stars Jamie Lee Curtis, James Jude Courtney, Judy Greer, Andi Matichak, Will Patton, Anthony Michael Hall, and Thomas Mann

3. No Time to Die

james-bond-no-time-to-die-premiere-streaming-on-facebook.jpg — (Photo: United Artists Releasing)

Week Three
Weekend: $11.88 million
Total: $120 million

James Bond is enjoying a tranquil life in Jamaica after leaving active service. However, his peace is short-lived as his old CIA friend, Felix Leiter, shows up and asks for help. The mission to rescue a kidnapped scientist turns out to be far more treacherous than expected, leading Bond on the trail of a mysterious villain who's armed with a dangerous new technology.

No Time to Die is directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga from a screenplay he co-wrote with Neal Purvis, Robert Wade, and Phoebe Waller-Bridge. The film stars Daniel Craig, Léa Seydoux, Ben Whishaw, Naomie Harris, Jeffrey Wright, Christoph Waltz, Rory Kinnear, Ralph Fiennes, Rami Malek, Lashana Lynch, Billy Magnussen, Ana de Armas, David Dencik, and Dali Benssalah

4. Venom: Let There Be Carnage

Week Four
Weekend: $9.1 million
Total: $181.8 Million

Eddie Brock is still struggling to coexist with the shape-shifting extraterrestrial Venom. When deranged serial killer Cletus Kasady also becomes host to an alien symbiote, Brock and Venom must put aside their differences to stop his reign of terror.

Venom: Let There Be Carnage is directed by Andy Serkis and written by Kelly Marcel from on a story she c0-wrote with Tom Hardy. The film stars Tom Hardy, Michelle Williams, Naomie Harris, Reid Scott, Stephen Graham, and Woody Harrelson.

5. Ron's Gone Wrong

Opening Weekend
Total: $7.3 million

Barney is a socially awkward schoolboy who receives a robot named Ron -- a walking, talking, digitally connected device that's supposed to be his best friend. Barney is excited to finally have his own robot -- until his new toy starts to hilariously malfunction, drawing the attention of a shady executive who wants to protect his company's stock price at all costs.

Jean-Philippe Vine and Sarah Smith direct Ron's Gone Wrong, with Octavio E. Rodriguez co-directing. Smith and Peter Baynham wrote the script. The film's voice cast includes Zach Galifianakis, Jack Dylan Grazer, Ed Helms, Justice Smith, Rob Delaney, Kylie Cantrall, Ricardo Hurtado, and Olivia Colman.

6. The Addams Family 2

Week Four
Weekend: $4.33 million
Total: $48.31 million

Hoping to get closer as a family, Gomez, Morticia and the rest of the Addams clan embark on an adventurous road trip in a hideous and humongous camper.

The Addams Family 2 is directed by Greg Tiernan and Conrad Vernon, co-directed by Laura Brousseau and Kevin Pavlovic, and written by Dan Hernandez, Benji Samit, Ben Queen, and Susanna Fogel from a story by Hernandez and Samit. The film is based on Charles Addams' original character. The film's voice cast includes Oscar Isaac, Charlize Theron, Chloë Grace Moretz, Nick Kroll, Javon Walton, Wallace Shawn, Wayne Knight, Snoop Dogg, Bette Midler, and Bill Hader.

7. The Last Duel

Week Two
Weekend: $2.1 million
Total: $8.52 million

Jean de Carrouges is a respected knight known for his bravery and skill on the battlefield. Jacques Le Gris is a squire whose intelligence and eloquence makes him one of the most admired nobles in court. When Le Gris viciously assaults Carrouges' wife, she steps forward to accuse her attacker, an act of bravery and defiance that puts her life in jeopardy. The ensuing trial by combat, a grueling duel to the death, places the fate of all three in God's hands.

Ridley Scott directs The Last Duel, based on the 2004 book by Eric Jager. Nicole Holofcener, Ben Affleck, and Matt Damon wrote the screenplay. The film stars Matt Damon, Adam Driver, Jodie Comer, and Ben Affleck.

8. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings

Week Eight
Weekend: $2 million
Total: $221 million

Martial-arts master Shang-Chi confronts the past he thought he left behind when he's drawn into the web of the mysterious Ten Rings organization.

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is directed by Destin Daniel Cretton from a screenplay he co-wrote with Dave Callaham and Andrew Lanham, based on a story by Cretton and Callaham. The film stars Simu Liu, Awkwafina, Meng'er Zhang, Fala Chen, Florian Munteanu, Benedict Wong, Michelle Yeoh, Ben Kingsley, and Tony Leung.

9. The French Dispatch

Opening Weekend
Total: $1.3 million

A love letter to journalists set in an outpost of an American newspaper in a fictional 20th-century French city that brings to life a collection of stories published in "The French Dispatch."

Wes Anderson wrote and directed The French Dispatch based on a story he created with Roman Coppola, Hugo Guinness, and Jason Schwartzman. It stars Benicio del Toro, Adrien Brody, Tilda Swinton, Léa Seydoux, Frances McDormand, Timothée Chalamet, Lyna Khoudri, Jeffrey Wright, Mathieu Amalric, Stephen Park, Bill Murray, and Owen Wilson.

10. Honsla Rakh

Week Two
Weekend: $490,000
Total: $1.8 million

This film is directed by Amarjit Singh Saroon and produced by Daljit Thind & Diljit Dosanjh. What happens when a loveable, rooted, desi, punjabi young man, who's a single father with a seven year old boy attempts to find love again, find a mom for his son, crosses paths with his ex who comes back into the city after a seven year gap? Honsla Rakh, starring Diljit Dosanjh, Sonam Bajwa, Shehnaaz Gill & Shinda Grewal is a romantic comedy set in Vancouver, Canada that has warmth at its center and deals with the emotional bonds between father and child, and love between men and women in modern times.

Amarjit Singh Saron directs Honsla Rakh. The film stars Diljit Dosanjh, Sonam Bajwa, Shehnaaz Gill, and Shinda Grewal