Dune: Part Two Has Already Made More Money Than Dune At The Box Office
"Dune: Part Two" has continued to rake in the dough and has now surpassed 2021's "Dune" at the global box office. When all's said and done, director Denis Villeneuve's sequel will probably make somewhere in the neighborhood of 1.5 times as much as the first movie did, which is great news for Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures. It's also very good news for those who want to see Villeneuve finish his trilogy in a few years, as all signs point to the studios giving a third installment the green light.
This past weekend, "Dune: Part Two" came in second place to "Kung Fu Panda 4," pulling in another $28.5 million domestically in its third weekend. The blockbuster based on Frank Herbert's classic sci-fi novel only dropped 38% compared to the prior weekend, which is a stellar hold for a movie of this size. The film has now earned $204.7 million domestically to go with $289.4 million internationally for a grand total of $494.1 million worldwide. It should pass the $500 million mark by Tuesday, and it currently stands as the highest-grossing movie of 2024 by a considerable margin.
Villeneuve's first "Dune" film pulled in a little over $400 million in its original run, a run that was hampered greatly by the pandemic. Warner Bros. released the movie on HBO Max the same day that it hit theaters in the U.S. Even with that disadvantage, though, "Dune" still managed to become a hit, paving the way for an even bigger sequel. Lots of people have since caught up with the first film on streaming and/or Blu-ray. To that end, the "Dune" re-release earlier this year to help tee up "Part Two" pulled in more than $30 million globally, bringing the film's running total to $431 million.
The Spice continues to flow for Dune
A percentage of that re-release money could rightfully be attributed to "Part Two," as audiences were clearly eager to see what Villeneuve cooked up. It certainly doesn't hurt that Timothee Chalamet has only become a bigger star in the years since the first film came out. "Wonka" is still pulling in money even now, after passing the $600 million mark earlier this year. Make no mistake, Chalamet is now a movie star capable of drawing a crowd. The same could be said for his co-star Zendaya, as well as Florence Pugh and Austin Butler. Villeneuve's stellar ensemble cast is owed a lot of credit here.
As for a third film, Villeneuve has been clear about his desire to adapt "Dune Messiah," Herbert's second book in the series. There is, however, a time jump between the books, so the director could/should probably wait a few years before diving back into the sands of Arrakis. That would give him some time to squeeze in another project while the cast ages up. He's probably going to have a blank check (within reason) to do whatever he wants next — sort of like how James Wan made "Malignant" between "Aquaman" and "Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom."
Looking ahead, at the rate we're going, "Dune 2" should easily cross $600 million globally before all's said and done. Even with its $190 million budget, that's more than enough to satisfy Warner Bros. and Legendary. It's really more of a matter of if, not when, they officially announce "Messiah." The Spice must flow.
"Dune: Part Two" is in theaters now.