After only a week in theaters, Dune: Part Two has already grossed more in domestic release than the first Dune did.
The new sequel — technically the second half of the first film by director Denis Villeneuve based on the Frank Herbert sci-fi novel Dune — has already grossed $111 million in the United States in one week. The first film, which debuted in the fall of 2021, earned just $108.8 million in the U.S. in the entirety of its six-month theatrical run.
There is an important asterisk here, of course. Dune opened in 2021 during the midst of the Covid pandemic, and was part of a plan that saw Warner Bros. release all of its theatrical films that year simultaneously on the big screen and on its then-new HBO Max streaming service.
HBO Max has since been rebranded as Max, and theatrical movies have since gone back to being exclusive to theaters before heading to streaming. So Dune: Part Two had the advantage of only playing in theaters, while Dune fans who wanted to see the first film could choose between the theater and streaming at home. I saw it in a theater, but I know lots of friends who went the other route.
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Plus, even with Dune: Part Two outgrossing Dune in the U.S., the original film has thus far earned way more total when you factor in international grosses. Dune earned $402 million worldwide in 2021 and 2022, while Dune: Part Two has made a little over $200 million so far.
Still, the film’s surprisingly big start is encouraging, not just for Dune fans but for anyone who wants to see movie theaters busy and thriving. After all, those folks who saw Dune on streaming could have waited to see Part Two on streaming as well. It will be available on Max eventually. These numbers show pretty clearly that a lot of moviegoers decided they couldn’t wait.
Dune: Part Two is now playing in theaters. While Villeneuve has openly discussed his interest in making a Dune: Part Three based on Herbert’s second Dune book, Dune Messiah, Warner Bros. has yet to green light the project. But with ticket sales like these, it seems like the project could actually happen.