‘Part Two’ brought in $81.5 million at the box office

Movie theaters were looking for a savior, and “Dune: Part Two” delivers on its promise. Armed with sandworms, big-screen spectacle and the star power of Timothée Chalamet, Denis Villeneuve’s sci-fi epic took the North American box office by storm this weekend, earning $81.5 million in ticket sales, according to studio estimates Sunday.

It earned $97 million internationally, bringing its worldwide debut to $178.5 million.

“Denis has made a truly extraordinary and special film, and it’s been really exciting to see people respond,” said Mary Parent, producer of both the “Dune” films and Legendary’s president of worldwide production. “It was made for the big screen and it feels like a cinematic event.”

This is the first major success of 2024 and a fair that exhibitors desperately need. Although Warner Bros. Although there are remnants like those who have continued to win since December.’ “Wonka” (which also stars Chalamet) and Sony’s romantic comedy “Anyone But You” are experiencing a bit of a drought at the box office. No film has exceeded $100 million domestically in the first two months of 2024. The highest-earning films were “The Beekeeper”, “Bob Marley: One Love” and “Mean Girls”.

“Dune 2” arrived in an uncompetitive market with a huge review wave (94% on Rotten Tomatoes). Warner Bros. released the film to 4,071 locations in the United States and Canada; where all audiences gave the film their highest PostTrak scores and an A CinemaScore. According to exit data, 59% of opening weekend ticket buyers are men, and 64% are over 25 years old. The sequel was primarily financed by Legendary, and its production budget, previously reported to be in the $122 million range, was closer to $25 million. 190 million dollars.

Warner Bros. “It’s really captured the market,” said Jeff Goldstein, president of domestic distribution. “This is a worldwide cultural moment.”

Premium large format screens such as IMAX and 70mm accounted for 48% of the weekend’s opening business. It broke the March record for IMAX, accounting for $18.5 million of total revenue. Villeneuve shot the film using IMAX cameras. Unlike “Oppenheimer,” it was shot digitally, but due to the extra time caused by the delay, they were also able to make film prints, and the film format proved a popular shot for audiences.

“Our most iconic movie locations have been sold out for nearly weeks now,” said IMAX CEO Rich Gelfond.

The $81.5 million debut is also a record for director Villeneuve; Starring Chalamet, Austin Butler and Rebecca Ferguson.

Originally scheduled for release in October 2023, Warner Bros. postponed the film to March amid strikes that prevented Hollywood’s star cast from making the promotional tour. The global promotional tour has been on hyperdrive for nearly a month; sparks conversations with exciting interviews, a viral sandworm-inspired popcorn bucket and dazzling fashion moments from the stylish young cast; It culminates in Zendaya’s silver cyborg entertainer (vintage Mugler) in London. They stopped in Mexico City, South Korea, Abu Dhabi and New York City.

“We worked hard to be ready for that (original) date, but we felt it was worth the wait, especially with this incredible cast,” Parent said.

Goldstein added that there was “a lot of discussion” about whether the film would be released during the strikes, but they knew they needed the cast to “fully realize the film.”

“You can’t make movie stars anywhere but theatres,” Goldstein said. “On the big screen, with big sound and this shared experience, theaters create a big star or showcase the talent of an already big star.”

The first “Dune” was released in October 2021 under complicated circumstances. It was one of Warner Bros.’ last films. divisive plan to release major films in theaters and on streaming platform simultaneously. Still, it earned over $40 million in its first weekend and grossed over $400 million worldwide.

“Denis Villeneuve is up there with Christopher Nolan as a filmmaker whose very name inspires people to go to the movies,” said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst at Comscore.

This weekend, he added, “moves the needle in a big way.”

Heading into the weekend, the box office was down nearly 20% from the same point last year (with “Avatar: The Way of Water,” released in 2022, taking that all out). This year’s closest equivalent is “Wonka,” which is still popular but not as big as “Avatar 2.” After the “Dune” weekend, the deficit will approach 13%.

“This shows how important a movie can be to the overall health of the industry,” Dergarabedian said. “But this is not a one-time miracle for March. This is a matter of momentum. Now, as we move towards March, April and summer movie season, we will put the wind in our sails again.”

Warner Bros. has another big movie, “Godzilla x Kong,” at the end of March, followed by “Furiosa” in May, a “Beetlejuice” sequel in September, and a “Joker” sequel in October.

“This is our year,” Goldstein said. “Participants are fighting for their lives, but we can be smart and collaborate with them to keep our work relevant to audiences.”

Estimated ticket sales at U.S. and Canadian theaters from Friday through Sunday, according to Comscore. Final domestic figures will be announced on Monday.

1. “Dune: Part Two,” $81.5 million.

2. “Bob Marley: One Love” $7.4 million.

3. “Ordinary Angels,” $3.9 million.

4. “Madame Web,” $3.2 million.

5. “The Chosen: Season 4, episodes 7-8. Episodes,” $3.2 million.

6. “Immigration, $2.5 million.

7. “Demon Hunter: Kimetsu No Yaiba – To Hashi,” $2.1 million.

8. “Wonka,” $1.7 million.

9. “Argylle,” $1.4 million.

10. “The Beekeeper,” $1.1 million.