Dune has not only won the weekend domestic box office with ticket sales of $40.1 million, but it also set a pandemic record for Warner Bros. for the biggest three-day opening since the company started its day-and-date strategy on HBO Max.
Dune's $40.1 million was enough to surpass Godzilla vs. Kong's then-pandemic record of $31 million. Even though its performance wasn't enough to surpass the openings of other films like No Time to Die, it's important to remember that the 25th James Bond film was released exclusively in theaters while Dune is available in theaters and to all HBO Max subscribers for no extra cost.
For another comparison, however, Dune was a far cry away from Black Widow's $80 million when it was released in theaters in July. Black Widow also earned another $60 million on Disney+ via those who paid an extra $29.99 USD to unlock it with Premier Access.
The big question on everybody's minds will be if this box office debut will be enough to warrant a sequel. Ann Sarnoff, WarnerMedia CEO of Studios and Network did hint to Deadline that, despite it not yet being green lit, Dune: Part 2 should be on its way.
"Will we have a sequel to Dune? If you watch the movie, you see how it ends. I think you pretty much know the answer to that,” she said.
Variety notes that Dune had a budget of $165 million, and it has already earned that back when taking its international total into account. This weekend, Dune added another $47.4 million to its international tally which is now sitting at $180.6 million. Its global total now stands at $220.7 million.
Halloween Kills placed second with ticket sales of $14 million, which is a 71% drop from its opening last weekend with ticket sales of $50.4 million. Halloween Kills' total domestic run has surpassed $73 million and it has easily earned back its $20 million budget.
No Time to Die placed third with $11.8 million, bringing its domestic total to $120 million, and Venom: Let There Be Carnage won fourth place with $9.1 million, bringing its total to $181 million. Dinsey's Ron's Gone Wrong opened to ticket sales of $7.3 million and a fifth-place spot.
For more, check out our Dune review, our explainer of the ending, and our look at what to expect with the uncertain sequel,
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Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.