Dune: Part Two hasn't hit box office tracking just yet, but based on ticket pre-sales alone, Denis Villeneuve's critically-acclaimed sequel is shaping up to be a much bigger hit than the previous film.
The first movie was released during the pandemic, debuting in theaters and on streaming around the same time. This coupled with its over 2-and-a-half hour run-time led to somewhat lowered expectations, but it still managed to take in over $400 million at the global box office (nothing too spectacular when compared to the average MCU instalment, but enough to warrant a follow-up).
Now, Fandango's Erik Davis is reporting that Part Two has already emerged as Villeneuve’s biggest pre-seller to date, surpassing Blade Runner 2049 and Arrival at the same point in the sales cycle, and selling twice as many tickets as Part One.
Of course, Dune 2 was always going to benefit from being released post-pandemic, and serving as a direct continuation of its well-received predecessor. Stellar reviews should also help (its Rotten Tomatoes score now sits at 98%).
"Those hoping for blockbuster escapism might find themselves shook by this faithful, at times borderline depressing adaptation," we said in our review. "But Dune Part Two is Sci-fi spectacle at its finest and most audacious, as Villeneuve builds-upon and possibly surpasses (opinions will vary) his previous film with aplomb."
The saga continues as award-winning filmmaker Denis Villeneuve embarks on Dune: Part Two, the next chapter of Frank Herbert’s celebrated novel Dune, with an expanded all-star international ensemble cast. The film, from Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures, is the highly anticipated follow-up to 2021’s six-time Academy Award-winning Dune.
The big-screen epic continues the adaptation of Frank Herbert’s acclaimed bestseller Dune with returning and new stars, including Oscar nominee Timothée Chalamet (Wonka, Call Me by Your Name), Zendaya (Spider-Man: No Way Home, Malcolm & Marie, Euphoria), Rebecca Ferguson (Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning), Oscar nominee Josh Brolin (Avengers: Endgame, Milk), Oscar nominee Austin Butler (Elvis, Once Upon A Time…In Hollywood), Oscar nominee Florence Pugh (Black Widow, Little Women), Dave Bautista (Guardians of the Galaxy, Thor: Love and Thunder), Oscar winner Christopher Walken (The Deer Hunter,), Stephen McKinley Henderson (Fences), Léa Seydoux (James Bond, Crimes of the Future), with Stellan Skarsgård (Avengers: Age of Ultron), Oscar nominee Charlotte Rampling (45 Years, Assassin’s Creed), and Oscar winner Javier Bardem (No Country for Old Men, Being the Ricardos).
Dune: Part Two 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. 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.