Despite Hybrid Release, ‘Dune’ Draws Well on the Big Screen – NBC 7 San Diego

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Denis Villeneuve’s “Dune” debuted with $ 40.1 million in ticket sales on the opening weekend in North America and attracted large numbers of moviegoers to see the thundering science fiction epic on the big screen, although it was also streamed at home could be.

Warner Bros. started Legendary Entertainment production in theaters and on HBO Max at the same time. When the studio first set this course for all of its releases in 2021 due to the pandemic, the impact of the strategy on “Dune” was – one of the most anticipated spectacle of the year – always one of the biggest question marks. Villeneuve protested vehemently against the decision.

“I firmly believe that the future of cinema will take place on the big screen, no matter what a Wall Street amateur says,” Villeneuve wrote in a detailed statement to Variety last December.

Warner Bros. has continued to claim that it will return to exclusive theatrical releases next year. Right now, the $ 165 million budgeted “Dune” marks the best domestic opening for any of the studio’s hybrid releases, beating the $ 31.7 debut of “Godzilla vs. Kong” in March. The expectations for “Dune. were closer to $ 30-35 million. ”

“This was a great result as we are just getting out of the pandemic,” said Jeff Goldstein, Warner Bros sales director for going to the movies first. There is no question about that. “

Goldstein estimated that the film would have debuted around 20% more box office if it hadn’t been streamed at the same time. (The studio did not publish streaming numbers.) By the weekend, “Dune”, which premiered at the Venice Film Festival in early September, had already grossed 130 million US dollars internationally. This weekend, it debuted at $ 21.6 million in China, where Legendary and Wanda took over distribution. Overall, “Dune” added $ 47.4 million internationally for a global cumulative gross of $ 220.7 million.

“Dune” is the second attempt to bring Frank Herbert’s 1965 epic to the screen, after David Lynch’s much derided 1984 version. Villeneuve’s “Dune”, who only adapts the first half of the book, plays Timothée Chalamet, Oscar Isaac, Rebecca Ferguson, Zendaya and Javier Bardem Legendary and Warner Bros. have yet to confirm a sequel to “Dune”, which is a violent power shift on the desert planet Arrakis records where a valuable mineral called “spice” is harvested.

Moviegoers gave “Dune” an A-CinemaScore and critics (83% on Rotten Tomatoes) praised the operatic swing and the visual art of Villeneuve’s film. It did particularly well on large-format screens, with IMAX accounting for approximately $ 9 million in ticket sales.

“What I think Warner’s strategy has shown is that movie fans, by and large, will choose the cinematic experience when they have a choice – especially for films like this,” said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst at data company Comscore. “This should be a very encouraging sign for theater owners. The appeal of the cinema remains, regardless of whether or not the content is available at home. “

Last week’s top film, Universal Pictures’ horror sequel “Halloween Kills,” also did well while streaming at home on Peacock. After debuting at $ 50.4 million, Halloween Kills slipped steeply in week two to $ 14.5 million, good for second place. In two weeks, it’s $ 73.1 million domestically recorded.

“No Time to Die,” Cary Fukunaga’s James Bond film with Daniel Craig, landed in third place in its third week with $ 11.9 million. The film grossed more than $ 525 million worldwide. MGM, United Artists and Universal Pictures have released a cinema-only release for “No Time to Die”.

The weekend’s biggest disappointment, if not unexpected, was “Rons Gone Wrong”. The under-marketed Disney animation version, produced by 20th Century Fox before Disney took over the studio, opened for a modest $ 7.3 million domestically and about as much internationally. But with good reviews and an “A” CinemaScore from the audience, the film could do well in the coming weeks with little family competition. “Ron’s Gone Wrong” is about a middle school student and his running, talking digital device, Ron (voiced by Zach Galifiniakis).

Another Chalamet film, “The French Dispatch,” also made a strong debut. Released by Disney’s Searchlight Pictures, the Wes Anderson film was released for $ 1.3 million in 52 theaters. That gave “The French Dispatch” the best pandemic average per theater. Anderson’s ode to the New Yorker, delayed for a year because of the pandemic, opens nationwide on Friday. While “The French Dispatch” – a $ 25 million film with star cast including Frances McDormand, Bill Murray, Benicio del Toro, Tilda Swinton, and others – is no small indie, the movie’s first week showing has given Arthouse a boost .

“These numbers show that after a year and a half with Wes Anderson, art house and independent theater have their own superhero,” said Frank Rodriguez, sales director for Searchlight Pictures.

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday in US and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore. Final domestic figures will be released on Monday.

1. “Dune”, $ 40.1 million.

2. Halloween Kills, $ 14.5 million.

3. “No Time to Die”, $ 11.9 million.

4. Venom: Let There Be Carnage, $ 9.1 million.

5. “Ron went wrong,” $ 7.3 million.

6. “The Addams Family 2,” $ 4.3 million.

7. “The Last Duel”, $ 2.1 million.

8. “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings,” $ 2 million.

9. “The French Embassy”, $ 1.3 million.

10. “Free Guy,” $ 258,000.

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