Movie theaters were looking for a savior, and Dune: Part Two is delivering on the promise. Armed with sandworms, big-screen spectacle and the star power of Timothée Chalamet, Denis Villeneuve's science fiction epic stormed the North American box office this weekend, earning $81.5 million in ticket sales, according to studio estimates Sunday. Internationally, it earned $97 million, bringing its global debut to $178.5 million. It's the first major hit of 2024 and was sorely needed by exhibitors; in the first two months of 2024, no films have crossed $100 million domestically.
Dune 2 rode a wave of great reviews (94% on Rotten Tomatoes) into a marketplace that was essentially free of competition. Warner Bros. released it in 4,071 locations in the US and Canada, where audiences across the board gave it the highest PostTrak marks and an A CinemaScore. The sequel's production budget was close to $190 million. Premium large-format screens like IMAX and 70mm accounted for 48% of the opening weekend business. It marked a March record for IMAX, which made up $18.5 million of the overall take; the movie was filmed with IMAX cameras. The $81.5 million debut is also a record for its director Villeneuve, as well as stars Chalamet, Austin Butler, and Rebecca Ferguson.
Below are estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at US and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore. Final domestic figures will be released Monday.
- Dune: Part Two, $81.5 million.
- Bob Marley: One Love, $7.4 million.
- Ordinary Angels, $3.9 million.
- Madame Web, $3.2 million.
- The Chosen, Season 4, Episodes 7-8, $3.2 million.
- Migration, $2.5 million.
- Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba–To the Hashi, $2.1 million.
- Wonka, $1.7 million.
- Argylle, $1.4 million.
- The Beekeeper, $1.1 million.
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