Dune may not be the next Lord of the Rings, but at this point I’ll settle for the next Divergent. That it’s a mostly “new to you” adaptation (mainstream success was always going to depend on those who didn’t know about or care about Dune to show up) is even better news for a theatrical industry now cornered by a demand for nostalgic franchise revivals.
A non-Marvel/DC flick passing $300 million worldwide, with comparatively little help from China no less, is always a net-positive. Once the film slightly overperformed Covid-era projections with a $41 million domestic debut, a sequel was green-lit and now Dune part Two is opening October 20, 2023. We can debate whether an under-$100 million domestic cume and under-$40 million Chinese cume is “good” for the $165 million movie, but the narrative of success was formed before the film opened here and there.
