Ahead of Dune: Part Two‘s premiere next month, the first official box office projections are in for Denis Villeneuve‘s sequel, and they’re looking promising.
According to a recent report from Deadline, projections for the highly anticipated sequel Dune: Part Two sit a bit on the conservative side, with the report mentioning most modest projections anticipate the film earning upward of $65 million in its opening weekend.
This would put the sequel significantly higher than its predecessor, however, as the original Dune opened to just $41 million due to the film opening day-and-date on Warner Bros. Discovery’s Max streaming platform.
Deadline’s report notes that while $65 million seems to be the most conservative option, there are some who believe that the sequel could open to anywhere between $75-80 million. Those who believe it cite the film’s advance ticket sales, which many say have outpaced Christopher Nolan’s epic, Oppenheimer.
However, Oppenheimer’s huge boost at the box office was due in part to the “Barbenheimer” phenomenon, so it remains unseen whether or not Dune: Part Two’s high ticket sales result in a major boost.
Who’s in Dune: Part Two?
Dune: Part Two is once again directed by Denis Villeneuve from a screenplay he co-wrote with Jon Spaihts. Stars Timothée Chalamet and Zendaya return for the film, as do Rebecca Ferguson, Stellan Skarsgård, Dave Bautista, Javier Bardem, Josh Brolin, and Stephen McKinley Henderson.
Joining them are franchise newcomers Christopher Walken as Emperor Shaddam IV, Florence Pugh as Princess Irulan, Austin Butler as Feyd-Rautha, Léa Seydoux as Lady Margot, and Souheila Yacoub as Shishakli.
“This follow-up film will explore the mythic journey of Paul Atreides as he unites with Chani and the Fremen while on a warpath of revenge against the conspirators who destroyed his family,” reads the synopsis. “Facing a choice between the love of his life and the fate of the known universe, he endeavors to prevent a terrible future only he can foresee.”
