Dune

‘Dune: Part Two’ Approaching $500 Million at Box Office

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'Dune: Part Two' Approaching $500 Million at Box Office

Who said the theatrical movie industry is hurting? Dune: Part Two, the highly anticipated sequel to the Warner Bros. tentpole, did not get the memo, as it is approaching $500 million, already eclipsing the first film. 

Variety reports the science-fiction epic, directed by Denis Villeneuve, just hit $494.7 million worldwide. The monster haul includes $208 million from North America and about $289 million internationally. Dune: Part Two is expected to exceed $500 million by Monday. This also matters since only a handful of films hit the half-billion mark post-pandemic. The sequel is already the highest-grossing film in 2024 at the worldwide box office, but it’s still early in the year. 

So get this: Dune: Part Two has only been in theaters for ten days but has already doubled the total domestic earnings of the first film, which earned $108 million. Now there’s an asterisk: the original film back in 2021 was released in theaters and on HBO Max, which arguably affected ticket sales in that scenario. 

Here’s the breakdown of ticket sales performance outside of the U.S. and Canada: 

China ($36 million)

U.K. ($32.8 million)

Germany ($25 million)

France ($24.9 million)

Australia ($15.6 million).

Much of the marketing is word-of-mouth, and there’s been interest in formats outside of standard screenings, where Dune: Part Two has made over $100 million from Imax theaters.

The sequel is based on the seminal 1965 Frank Herbert novel Dune, which continues the story of Dune. Cinematically, it follows, as Variety reports, “the mythic quest of Timothée Chalamet’s Paul Atreides, who seeks safety in the desert after powerful royals betray his family. Austin Butler, Florence Pugh, and Christopher Walken join the sprawling cast of Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson, Josh Brolin, and Stellan Skarsgård.”

Dune: Part Two was co-produced and co-financed by Warner Bros. and Legendary Entertainment for $190 million, with an expected $100 million to market around the world.

The post ‘Dune: Part Two’ Approaching $500 Million at Box Office first appeared on The Source.

The post ‘Dune: Part Two’ Approaching $500 Million at Box Office appeared first on The Source.

Why Are Some Movie Fans Calling For A “Dune 2” Boycott?

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Denis Villeneuve’s long-awaited Dune sequel finally arrived in theaters this weekend to rave reviews from critics and general audiences alike. Unfortunately, some social media users have taken issue with the film and have called for a full-scale boycott of the sci-fi adventure. The reasoning for the Dune 2 boycott is fairly niche, however, and unlikely to hold a great impact on the film’s profitability. Still, it’s worth examining, as the issue ties-in to a significant global conflict which has already cost many actors their jobs. Here’s a look into why some fans are demanding a Dune 2 boycott.

The Boycott Centers On A November 2023 SNL Sketch

Dune 2 lead Timothée Chalamet hosted an episode of Saturday Night Live back in November, which saw him taking on a number of roles in comedy sketches throughout the evening. One pre-recorded sketch, headed by one of SNL‘s in-house comedy troupes Please Don’t Destroy, centered on Chalamet’s character planning to leap from a ledge to his death. The trio behind Please Don’t Destroy, portraying fictionalized versions of themselves, see Chalamet as he prepares to leap and attempt to stop him from doing so, asking him if there’s anything in his life worth living for. The punchline of the sketch is that Chalamet’s character is an aspiring musician, though his music, which he proceeds to play over a Bluetooth speaker as he teeters on the edge of a ledge, is all terrible.

While most of the punchlines in the sketch come and go with little controversy, one joke which references the Palestinian political group Hamas has received negative press from users on social media platforms such as TikTok and Reddit. The joke in question sees Chalamet asking onlookers to share his music on Instagram, and explaining that his band is named Hamas (pronounced hay-mis, but spelled H-A-M-A-S) prompting one member of Please Don’t Destroy to shout, “Yeah dude I’m not sharing a song by Hamas on Instagram!”

Supporters Of Palestine Find The Joke To Be “Disgusting” & “Disrespectful”

@kittiearie

#duneparttwo #dunepremiere #dunemovie #timoteechalamet #fyp

♬ original sound – Cat

While a Dune 2 boycott doesn’t seem to have much of a foothold in general pop culture, many niche groups which support Palestine in the ongoing conflict at the Gaza Strip consider this joke to be tasteless. Others have used the joke as a jumping-off point to criticize the film itself, as well as the novel series on which it is based. Dune defenders have responded to these TikTokers in droves, explaining that the story of Dune carries political themes that wholeheartedly support Palestinian sovereignty.

Furthermore, Dune 2 filmmaker Denis Villeneuve has specifically made pro-Palestine comments in the past and has even expressed interest in helming a film highlighting the plight of the Palestinian people. Other key actors in the film such as Zendaya and Javier Bardem have also taken public stances in support of Palestine, prompting many fans of the film to defend Dune 2 against the calls to boycott.

Timothée Chalamet Has Not Commented On The Controversy Yet

@xiandivyne

Replying to @novad #fyp #xiandivyne #dune

♬ original sound – Christian Divyne

Timothée Chalamet has not yet remarked on the impending Dune 2 boycott or clarified his personal stance on the ongoing Israel-Palestine conflict. This political position has become something of a minefield for Hollywood performers, with many actors being fired from high-profile projects for weighing in. For now, there’s no way of knowing how the social media situation will impact the film’s reception or Chalamet’s career at large.

The post Why Are Some Movie Fans Calling For A “Dune 2” Boycott? appeared first on HotNewHipHop.

Warner Bros. Releases First Trailer For “Dune: Part Two”

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Frank Herbert’s sweeping space opera series, Dune, finally found a way to enthrall mass-appeal audiences in 2021. The grandiose and visually-stunning film, anchored by Timothée Chalamet and Zendaya, was met with rave reviews and major box office success. The film holds an 83% critics rating and a 90% audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes. It also made over double its staggering $165 million budget.

However, that was just the beginning of the saga. Director Denis Villeneuve wanted to include as much of the source material as possible. Thus, he split the first book into two parts to represent the two very distinct halves of the novel. Dune as a book series contains five works by Herbert.

“Dune: Part Two” Promises War And Worm-Riding

If Dune was a political thriller, then Dune: Part 2 is set to be a war epic. The last film left off with our protagonist, Paul, having escaped the clutches of those who would wish him harm. He escapes to the Fremens, an indigenous people of the sand moon of Arrakis. That’s where the trailer picks up, with Paul telling Chani (Zendaya) about swimming. Paul spent a lot of the first film having visions of Chani. There is be some serious romance between the two of them. Towards the end of the trailer, we see the two lean in for a kiss.

But the scope quickly pulls out from Paul’s adventures. The various factions on and around Arrakis are preparing for war. After all, everyone wants the spice (the narcotic macguffin that can only be found on Arrakis). We are also given plenty of footage of Paul’s mysterious mother, Lady Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson). The trailer also gives us our first look at new additions to the cast Florence Pugh and Austin Butler. However, the thing that the entire trailer is building is Paul riding a motherfucking sandworm. Arrakis is home to giant sandworms and in true fantasy novel fashion, there’s a prophecy about the person who is able to ride the sandworm. And wouldn’t you know it, Paul squares off with a sandworm and goes shooting along the sands. Dune: Part Two is scheduled for release on November 3.

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