There is a lot of uncertainly surrounding Dune's box office performance, with many seeming to feel it's a foregone conclusion that a sequel won't be greenlit if Part 1 doesn't prove to be at least a moderate success for Warner Bros.
It's a logical assumption to make - especially for a movie with a reported $165+ million price tag - but, in this case, it may not be quite so cut and dry.
Variety reports that director Denis Villeneuve could still get the opportunity to make Dune: Part 2 if the first film underperforms in theatres, because the studio gave the filmmaker certain assurances to convince him to agree to the day and date streaming release. So, diminished box office returns won’t necessarily prohibit him from moving forward with a sequel, as long as the movie is a hit on HBO Max.
Villeneuve has already expressed how excited he is to continue/conclude this story, and is confident that he will get the chance to do so.
"If such a thing as Dune: Part Two happens, I will say that it's going to be an insane playground for me," he reiterates to Variety. "It's going to be just like pure cinematic pleasure for the second part. I don't want to speak for everybody on the team, but I will say that we really created on this movie a feeling of family and to re-unify everybody again together, that would be paradise."
Dune is set to hit theaters and HBO Max on October 22. Do you guys plan on checking it out on the big screen? Drop us a comment down below.