Summary
- Dune: Part Two needs to gross approximately $500M worldwide to "breakeven" due to its $190M budget.
- The film is receiving positive reviews, currently holding a 94% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
- Despite potential hindrances to commercial success, the film is on track to surpass two major box office milestones.
The echoes of Hans Zimmer’s booming score and Timothée Chalamet’s “voice” are only getting louder as Dune: Part Two settles into an upward trajectory at the global box office. Directed by Denis Villeneuve, the film exceeded expectations in its opening weekend, grossing over $180 million worldwide. But according to a recent article in The Hollywood Reporter, the epic science-fiction blockbuster still has a long journey across the desert ahead of it, as it treks towards a hefty break-even point.
According to THR, Dune: Part Two would need to gross $500 million worldwide to breakeven, which understandably sounds like a lot. The first Dune, which was released simultaneously in theaters and on streaming in the pandemic era of 2021, grossed just over $400 million globally in its initial run, and recently added around $30 million to its total after a one-week re-release. The film cost a reported $165 million to produce. Dune: Part Two, on the other hand, is said to have cost $190 million, with most of the budget being footed by Legendary Pictures.
The rule of thumb says that a movie of this size needs to gross around twice its production budget to breakeven because millions more are spent on marketing and roughly half the revenue goes to theaters. THR estimates that Dune: Part Two will ultimately end up grossing between $600 million and $700 million worldwide, which would be an unambiguous victory for everybody involved. But let’s not forget that, like Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer, Dune: Part Two hardly checked all the boxes for commercial success. It’s nearly three hours long, thematically dense, and tonally dour. None of this seems to be deterring audiences from sampling the film's large-scale storytelling on the biggest screens available.
'Dune: Part Two' Will Easily Outperform the First Film
Reviews have also been on the film’s side. Dune: Part Two is currently enjoying a 94% “fresh” rating on the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes. The film’s audience rating, believe it or not, is even more positive at 95%. Opening day crowds awarded it an A CinemaScore, while Collider’s Therese Lacson praised its technical achievements in her review, but was critical of the script. With $89 million domestically and $189 million worldwide, Dune: Part Two is poised to pass two major box office milestones in the next day or two.
Starring Chalamet and Zendaya, alongside an esteemed ensemble that includes Rebecca Ferguson, Austin Butler, and Florence Pugh, Dune: Part Two concludes Villeneuve’s two-part adaptation of Frank Herbert’s seminal science-fiction novel. Villeneuve has made his intentions to direct a third film, based on “Dune: Messiah,” abundantly clear. You can watch the film in theaters and stay tuned to Collider for more updates.
Dune: Part Two
- Release Date
- February 27, 2024
- Runtime
- 167 minutes
- Director
- Denis Villeneuve
Cast
-
Paul Atreides -
ZendayaChani
WHERE TO WATCH
Paul Atreides unites with Chani and the Fremen while seeking revenge against the conspirators who destroyed his family.
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