Dune: Part Two Earns Biggest Preview Box Office Since Barbenheimer

Dune Part Two has earned $12 million at about 4,500 locations in preview screenings, according to numbers furnished by Warner Bros. A little of that money — around $2 million — came from a super-early IMAX screening on February 25, but those numbers will roll into the opening weekend calculations for the film, which is currently sitting at over 90% positive reviews from those who have seen it on Rotten Tomatoes.

Dune Part Two has so far had the most preview-night success since last year’s Barbie and Oppenheimer box office bonanza. It’s running comparable to Deadpool‘s $12.7 million (on the way to a $132 million opening weekend) and The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey‘s $13 million, which translated to $84.6 million. That’s around half the projected $150 to $175 million opening for Dune Part Two. 

With The Hobbit, there were fewer preview night showings, as the 6 p.m. Thursday start time had not yet become codified. That suggests a pretty massive surge of up-front interest, with a tapering off that explains why it made so much less than Deadpool, which performed consistently across the whole weekend.

The first Dune, which opened with $41 million, and ended with a global box office haul of $433 million. The second looks on pace to easily beat that number.

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, 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.