Dune box office gets off to a good start worldwide - and bolsters hopes for a sequel

The early numbers are in: Dune’s international box office has yielded sizeable takings over the weekend – and indicates Denis Villeneuve’s sci-fi blockbuster is set to do well on the big screen.

As per Variety, the staggered worldwide release of Dune has already collected $36m.

It may not seem like much, but it’s already proving a hit with limited capacity audiences in typically weak markets such as Russia, France, and Italy – and is not a figure to be dismissed in the pandemic era.

It remains to be seen whether the simultaneous launch on HBO Max will affect the box office elsewhere - but the early signs are good for a movie that is already pinning hopes on a sequel.

The director also echoed those thoughts in an interview with Total Film:

"[The studio] feel that it would need a really bad outcome at the box office to not have a Dune: Part Two, because they love the movie. They are proud of the movie, so they want the movie to move forward. And they still did half of it. So, you know, I’m very optimistic."

Dune has begun screening in some parts of the world, and will arrives to U.S. theaters and HBO Max this October 22nd.

At: https://www.gamesradar.com/dune-box-office-gets-off-to-a-good-start-worldwide-and-bolsters-hopes-for-a-sequel/

Gurney Halleck and Paul Atreides (Josh Brolin and Timothée Chalamet) make a quick getaway in Denis Villenueve's recent adaptation of Frank Herbert's Dune.

Villeneuve has revealed hopes for a Dune trilogy, given that the 2-½ hour film only delves into the first half of the book.

"There is Dune’s second book, The Messiah of Dune, which could make an extraordinary film," the French-Canadian director added.