Some readers have asked about the budget of “Dune: Part II” (03.01.24) A report last year claimed it was $122 million. I never believed it. Now we have an answer.
Per Variety, Villeneuve’s epic cost Warner Bros $190 million to make. Know what? Every single cent of that budget can be seen on-screen. The film is visually ravishing. It’s certainly flawed, but, as can be read in my review, it’s hard not to be enveloped by the scope and ambition of the film.
If you want to make comparisons, 2021’s “Dune” was made for around $165 million. It ended up grossing almost $440 million worldwide. I believe there was a report last year, from one of the trades, that briefly mentioned that Warner Bros had made a net gain of around $40 million on the first installment.
The latest internal numbers have ‘Dune 2’ opening at around $75-$80 million. The sequel has way more action, and imagery to knock your socks off — it’s not that hard to believe that it cost more than the first one. I like what a commenter just said: how exactly did ‘Dune 2’ end up costing less than “Killers of the Flower Moon” ($200 million)?