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( AP)-- Movie theaters were looking for a hero 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 sci-fi legendary stormed the North American box office this weekend earning $81.5 million in ticket sales, according to studio price quotes Sunday.
Globally, it earned $97 million, bringing its international debut to $178.5 million.
" Denis made a really remarkable and unique movie and its been truly exciting to see people respond," stated Mary Parent, a manufacturer on both "Dune" films and chairman of worldwide production at Legendary. "It was made for the big screen and it feels like it's being gotten as a cinematic event.".
In the first two months of 2024, no movies have actually crossed $100 million domestically. The greatest earning movies have been "The Beekeeper," "Bob Marley: One Love" and "Mean Girls.".
Warner Bros. released it in 4,071 locations in the U.S. and Canada, where audiences throughout the board provided it the greatest PostTrak marks and an A CinemaScore. According to exit information, men accounted for 59% of opening weekend ticket buyers and 64% were over the age of 25. (Photo by Vianney Le Caer/Invision/AP).
" It really captured the marketplace," stated Jeff Goldstein, Warner Bros. president of domestic distribution. "It's a cultural moment internationally.".
Premium big format screens like IMAX and 70mm accounted for 48% of the opening weekend company. It marked a March record for IMAX, that made up $18.5 million of the general take. Villeneuve recorded the movie utilizing IMAX cameras. Unlike" Oppenheimer," it was shot on digital, however with the extra time with the strike hold-up they had the ability to make movie prints too and the film format is proving a popular draw for audiences.
" Our most renowned film locations are practically offered out for weeks," said IMAX CEO Rich Gelfond.
The $81.5 million launching is likewise a record for its director Villeneuve, and stars Chalamet,
Austin Butler and Rebecca Ferguson.
Originally planned for an October 2023 release, Warner Bros. bumped the movie to March amid the Hollywood strikes that would have prevented its stellar cast from doing the promotional circuit. The worldwide promo trip has actually been on hyperdrive for about a month, driving discussions with buzzy interviews, the viral sandworm-inspired popcorn bucket and eye-popping style minutes from the trendy young cast-- peaking with Zendaya's silver cyborg showstopper (vintage Mugler) in London. They've made drop in Mexico City, South Korea, Abu Dhabi and
New York City.
" We worked extremely difficult to be ready for that (initial) date however we quite felt that, especially with this unbelievable cast, that it was worth waiting for," Parent said.
Goldstein added that there was "a great deal of debate" over whether to release it during the strikes but they knew that they needed the cast to "completely understand the film.".
" You do not make movie stars any location aside from theaters," Goldstein said. "Cinemas, on the big screen with the huge noise and that shared experience makes a big star, or show the talent of a huge star anyhow.".
The very first" Dune" opened under complex conditions in October 2021. It was one of the last films of Warner Bros.' divisive strategy to simultaneously debut its major movies in theaters and on its streaming platform. And yet it still made over $40 million in its very first weekend and went on to gross over $400 million worldwide.
" Denis Villeneuve is up there with Christopher Nolan as a filmmaker whose name alone inspires people to go to the cinema," stated Paul Dergarabedian, the senior media analyst for Comscore.
This weekend, he included, "moves the needle in a huge method.".
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Going into the weekend package workplace was down about 20% from the same point last year (when "Avatar: The Way of Water," a 2022 release, was raising whatever). The closest equivalent this year is "Wonka," still a hit, however not as big as "Avatar 2." After the "Dune" weekend, the deficit will be closer to 13%.
" It shows how crucial one film can be to the total health of the market," Dergarabedian stated. "But this is not a one-hit wonder for March. It's a momentum business. Now we're going to get the wind back in the sails as we head even more into March, April and the summertime motion picture season.".
Warner Bros. is one of those studios that will be back in short order with another huge film, in "Godzilla x Kong" at the end of March, followed by "Furiosa" in May, the "Beetlejuice" sequel in September and the "Joker" follow up in October.
" This is our year," Goldstein stated. "Exhibitors are defending their lives but we can be smart and collective with them to keep our business appropriate to audiences.".
Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore. Final domestic figures will be released Monday.
1. "Dune: Part Two," $81.5 million.
2. "Bob Marley: One Love," $7.4 million.
3. "Ordinary Angels," $3.9 million.
4. "Madame Web," $3.2 million.
5. "The Chosen: Season 4, Episodes 7-8," $3.2 million.
6. "Migration, $2.5 million.
7. "Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba-- To the Hashi," $2.1 million.
8. "Wonka," $1.7 million.
9. "Argylle," $1.4 million.
10. "The Beekeeper," $1.1 million.
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