Dune 2 sets box office records: the return of the cinema

“ Dune: Part Two ” exceeded even the most optimistic box office expectations, grossing $81.5 million in the U.S.
during its first weekend.
The Denis Villeneuve-directed sci-fi epic grossed $97 million outside the United States, bringing its total to $178 million worldwide.
In Italy, Dune 2 almost made 4 million euros, bringing the total takings in theaters to 7.8 million: a weekend better than 13.6% compared to last year.
The sequel to the acclaimed Dune is doing much better than the first installment.
Dune 1 grossed $41 million in the US in its first weekend, though the numbers were likely still muted by the pandemic.
Warner Bros, the film's production studio, expected a much lower box office at $65 million for the first weekend.
Others have suggested it could have been as high as $80 million.
read also Oscar 2024, dates, how to see, actors and films in competition Thanks to these record takings, Warner Bros has won its best weekend in the post-pandemic era.
The studio is going through a deep financial and creative crisis, with merger/sale talks in the works for 2025.
In any case, Dune 2's success was far from certain.
The running time of almost 3 hours, the typically slow and long shots and the release close to a Marvel film would have discouraged any producer just a couple of years ago.
Instead, Dune: Part 2 demolished Marvel's “ Madame Web ” and its “measly” $91 million worldwide box office.
“Audiences are responding to the combination of Denis Villeneuve's ability to tell a story in an extraordinary way and the extraordinary cast,” said Jeff Goldstein, Warner's president of domestic distribution.
There's also the simple fact that audiences are drawn to the movie theater in a way they've never seen before since the pandemic.
Vanity Fair reported that IMAX and 70mm, the theaters that provide the best possible audiovisual experience, account for 48% of Dune 2 sales in the US.
Warner's strategy to simultaneously release Dune 1 for streaming on HBO Max proved unsuccessful.
Dune 2 instead demonstrated to Warner Bros that audiences will give up convenience to experience a film that needs to be seen in theaters.
Dune 2 hasn't been released on streaming yet but it still managed to exceed box office expectations.
read also The conflicts of interest of the Italian banking system and the trust to be rebuilt: the film-exposé by Antonio Albanese In a post-pandemic world, films like Dune 2 attract the public to the cinema, which therefore increases streaming views.
Releasing a hit movie in theaters and streaming it at the same time is simply a failed strategy.
Dune 2 is the first major box office success since The Ears Tour last October.
Villeneuve's epic was supposed to be released last year, but was postponed by strikes in Hollywood.
Article published on Money.it international edition on 2024-03-04 12:23:22.
Original title: Dune 2 breaks box office expectations in major victory for Warner Bros