In the wake of a sequel being officially announced, Dune made $15.5 million across its second weekend, bringing its domestic total to $69.4 million. The film added just over $21 million at the international box office, bringing it to a handsome tally of $222.7 million, for a sizable Covid-era worldwide total of $292.1 million.
This marks a reasonable decline of 62% for Dune, but markedly better than other titles Warner Bros. has released simultaneously on HBO Max, like Mortal Kombat and The Suicide Squad, which both plunged around 70% in their second weekends. Furthermore, Warner Bros. says IMAX ticket sales have been “robust,” implying that moviegoers have responded to Dune’s big screen marketing campaign.
To date, $17 million of Dune’s overall domestic tally comes from HBO Max’s premium streaming option, just over a quarter of that nearly $70 million total, further evidencing that Duneheads have preferred to stick to the traditional viewing method.
One thing’s for sure: it’ll be music to director Denis Villeneuve's ears who compared watching Dune at home to driving “a speedboat in your bathtub”. As the Canadian filmmaker continued, “For me, it’s ridiculous. It’s a movie that has been made as a tribute to the big-screen experience.” The film’s handsome box office returns would suggest that audiences far from disagree.
Dune’s impressive cast includes Timothée Chalamet as Paul Atreides, Oscar Isaac as Duke Leto Atreides, Zendaya as Chani, Rebecca Ferguson as Lady Jessica, Josh Brolin as Gurney Halleck, Stellan Skarsgård as Baron Vladimir Harkonnen, Dave Bautista as Glossu ‘Beast’ Rabban, Charlotte Rampling as Gaius Helen Mohiam, Jason Momoa as Duncan Idaho, and Javier Bardem as Stilgar.
Dune is available right now in theatres and on HBO Max.