“Dune” did not light up the U.S. box-office during its second weekend of release as the sci-fi epic suffered a steep 62 percent drop in revenue, grossing a slim $15.5 million.
Its domestic take so far is $69.4 million, worldwide $292 million. The film’s budget, not including marketing costs, is around $165 million. These numbers are fine for the pandemic-era, but would have been seen as mediocre in pre-pandemic times. Regardless, the film is destined to get numerous Oscar nominations and a significant cult following.
Audiences seem to also be responding well to “Dune.” It garnered an A- Cinemascore, 90% RT audience score and 8.3 rating on IMDB. Streaming-wise, its HBO Max numbers are impressive. During its first week of release, almost 2 million homes in the U.S. streamed the film.
A sequel was greenlit last week by Legendary and Warner Bros.
For months, people close to CEO David Ellison had hinted that he would leave if state AGs didn't drop their antitrust suit against the $111 billion Warner Bros. Discovery merger.