“Dune” has thus far exceeded all expectations overseas.
Warner Bros took a risk by releasing Denis Villeneuve’s “Dune” a whole month before its U.S. theatrical date (10.22.21). That gamble has, thus far, paid off, at least in Europe where “Dune” has so far grossed an impressive $76 million. Pre-release forecasting had been pretty dour for the film, with many even predicting record-breaking second-week drops, but that never materialized.
However, for such a massive blockbuster, these numbers won't even come close to recouping the budget of the film ($165 million not including marketing), and in the pre-pandemic era would have been deemed an underwhelming box-office performance. The movie hasn’t been released yet in North America and China, that is what will truly determine if the film is a success and whether or not a sequel is merited.
Here is something that is going against the film recuperating it’s budget: Domestically, Dune” is opening simultaneously in movie theaters and on home screens because Warner Bros. also owns HBO Max, the streaming service where “Dune” will be made available. That wasn’t the case overseas, where “Dune” was exclusively a theatrical release.
So far in 2021, the highest grossing opening-weekends have been the $94 million made by “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings,” followed by the $80 million made by “Black Widow” and the $70 million made by “F9: The Fast Saga.” Only “Black Widow was immediately made available to stream, on Disney Plus, but as a $30 rental for subscribers only. “Dune” will be free to watch for the close to 15 million HBO Max subscribers.