Denis Villeneuve’s highly anticipated film, Dune: Part Two, has made an impressive debut at the foreign box office, raking in $5.2 million from its first 13 markets. With previews included, the film’s total foreign earnings currently stand at $7.6 million. This strong start sets the stage for its release in a multitude of additional countries, with a total of 71 territories expected to screen the film by the weekend.
Leading the pack on Wednesday was France, where Dune: Part Two earned an impressive $1.4 million. South Korea followed closely behind with $1.1 million. The film is set to open in North America on Friday, following Thursday evening previews. Industry tracking suggests that the film could have a global opening of $150 million to $175 million, although Warner Bros. is taking a more cautious approach and predicting a figure closer to $140 million. This release comes at a crucial time for the box office, which has been struggling due to a lack of new releases caused by strike-related delays.
Overseas, early tracking and advance ticket sales indicate that Dune: Part Two could start off with $85 million, and this figure doesn’t even include key markets such as China and Japan. While the sci-fi genre can be challenging in certain markets, Dune: Part Two is expected to defy this trend based on the success of its predecessor and its stellar reviews. The film currently holds an impressive critics’ score of 95 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, compared to 83 percent for the first Dune film.
Released in 2021, Villeneuve’s first installment of Dune grossed over $402 million worldwide, despite the ongoing challenges posed by the pandemic and its simultaneous release on HBO Max. The majority of its earnings, $325 million, came from the foreign box office. With this in mind, expectations for Dune: Part Two are even higher.
Legendary, the production company behind the film, made the difficult decision to delay its release from last fall to now in order to capitalize on the star power of Timothée Chalamet and Zendaya, who have a strong influence on younger viewers. The success of Dune: Part Two will be determined not only by its opening weekend numbers but also by its long-term performance, as it aims to solidify itself as a new franchise for Legendary.
Director Denis Villeneuve has expressed his desire to make one more film in the Dune series, titled Dune: Messiah. Additionally, Warner Bros. has plans for a spinoff series called Dune: Prophecy, set to be released on HBO Max later this year. The film boasts an impressive ensemble cast, including newcomers Austin Butler, Florence Pugh, and Christopher Walken, alongside returning stars such as Rebecca Ferguson, Javier Bardem, Josh Brolin, Stellan Skarsgard, Dave Bautista, and Charlotte Rampling.
As Dune: Part Two continues its international rollout and prepares for its North American release, all eyes are on this highly anticipated sequel to see if it can live up to the expectations set by its predecessor and establish itself as a new powerhouse franchise in the sci-fi genre.
