Summary

Dune: Part Two
has outgrossed the original, reaching $494.7 million globally in week 3.
The sequel’s $82.5 million opening weekend doubled the original movie’s opening earnings.

Dune: Part Two
is close to hitting the $500 million milestone, a record that was achieved by only nine movies in 2023.

Dune: Part Two has already outgrossed the original movie as it approaches a major milestone in week 3. The 2021 original, which adapted the first half of the Frank Herbert novel of the same name, had a compromised day-and-date streaming release that limited its theatrical prospects, though that didn’t prevent it from becoming the 12th highest-grossing movie of the year with a worldwide gross of $433.9 million. Immediately out of the gate, its sequel easily surpassed it, with an opening weekend total of $82.5 million that more than doubled the original’s $41 million opening.

Per Variety, by Monday the Dune: Part Two box office is projected to reacha total of $494.7 million worldwide. This total comes from a domestic gross of $208 million plus $289.4 million from international markets, marking the movie as the highest-grossing release of the year in both markets. It is also extremely close to passing the $500 million milestone, a benchmark that only nine movies passed in 2023, including the smash hits Barbie and Oppenheimer as well as the previous Timothée Chalamet-led project Wonka.

Could Dune: Part Two Make $1 Billion?

At this point, it seems like the Dune: Part Two release can do no wrong financially. It is more or less a certainty that it will pass the $500 million mark before its next weekend in theaters. However, it remains to be seen if it can surpass the next huge milestone worldwide, which would mean earning more than $1 billion. If it intends to hit that goal, it will have to earn 2.3 times what the original movie grossed worldwide.

So far, the lack of a concurrent streaming release and strong Dune: Part Two reviews do seem to be helping keep the movie on track to hit that mark, if it can keep up its current lead on the original. At the same point 18 days into its original run, the 2021 movie had only earned $84.7 million, meaning that the sequel has earned roughly 2.45 times that total, a lead it can potentially keep up moving forward. Below, see how the Dune: Part Two release is tracking alongside other recent domestic movies that have grossed over $1 billion worldwide:

Title Day 18 Domestic Gross Worldwide Total Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021) $621.5 million $1.9 billion Jurassic World Dominion (2022) $306.5 million $1 billion Top Gun: Maverick (2022) $401.8 million $1.49 billion Avatar: The Way of Water (2022) $446.9 million $2.3 billion The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023) $416.4 million $1.36 billion Barbie (2023) $468.5 million $1.44 billion Dune: Part Two (2024) $280 million TBD

Ultimately, Dune: Part Two is trailing behind every single one of those titles, including Jurassic World Dominion, which just barely made it over the line to $1 billion. However, its strong word of mouth, and possibly a boost from international markets, could help it overcome the discrepancy between itself and that 2022 title. It seems unlikely to make it very far past the $1 billion threshold, but hitting that goal is entirely within its power if all goes right.

Source: Variety

Dune: Part Two Dune: Part Two is the sequel to Denis Villeneuve’s 2021 film that covers the novel’s events by Frank Herbert. The movie continues the quest of Paul Atreides on a journey of revenge against those who slew his family. With insight into the future, Atreides may be forced to choose between his one true love and the universe’s fate. Release Date March 1, 2024 Studio(s) Legendary Pictures Distributor(s) Warner Bros. Pictures Budget $122 Million