Dune Ticket Pre-Sales Top No Time To Die & All Other 2021 Movies

Dune ticket pre-sales are topping No Time To Die and all other 2021 blockbusters. Dune is the latest adaptation of the classic sci-fi novel by Frank Herbert, directed by Blade Runner 2049‘s Denis Villeneuve. The film stars Timothée Chalamet, Jason Momoa, Oscar Isaac, Rebecca Ferguson, Zendaya, Javier Bardem, Stellan Skarsgard, Sharon Duncan-Brewster, Josh Brolin, and Dave Bautista, making for a powerful, well-rounded cast. The film centers on warring houses, Atreides and Harkonnen, fighting over the Planet Arrakis, which is the only known source of a mind-expanding spice called “melange,” which extends life and makes space travel possible, amongst other things.

So far, Dune has garnered mostly positive reviews, carrying a certified fresh score of 87 percent on RottenTomatoes. The film opened at the Venice Film Festival before opening up in a number of foreign markets, where it has amassed an early cume of $129 million, which is a strong start for the film. Initially a theatrical-only release, the pandemic caused WB to put the film on their streaming service HBO Max for a day-and-date release both in theaters and on the platform. Initially upset by the move, Villeneuve eventually accepted the fate of the film, addressing the issue at hand that affected it, which is a global pandemic.

Now, a new report from Deadline says that theatrical pre-sales for Dune are topping everything else that’s been released in 2021, including Black Widow, Shang-Chi, and No Time To Die. Dune is currently already playing in 36 markets worldwide, but will open in the U.S. and in 40 other markets starting Thursday, October 21 with early showings. The film will take up IMAX theaters and account for 4,100 theatrical locations with 7.5K screens total. The pic is currently tracking to pull in $30-35 million domestically, with China potentially hitting $40 million over the opening weekend. This could mean a global take of $70 million, which would push the film over $200 million worldwide by the end of the weekend.

Thus far, Godzilla vs. Kong, which also released day-and-date on HBO Max, is the only WB film to cross $100 million domestically in 2021. Dune will play on HBO Max only in the U.S., leaving all other markets as theatrical-only. With the rollout of so many previously-delayed tentpole films, such as No Time To Die,Venom: Let There Be Carnage, Halloween Kills, and now Dune, exhibition is seeing the best resurgence yet for theatrical business, and with so many options open to consumers there’s much more to entice them back, even if Covid concerns still exist. For Dune, crossing the $300 million mark could be a saving grace, helping get the second half of the book filmed and giving WB a modest, if not solid, win.

With the hype and word-of-mouth on Dune being so strong, it would not be surprising to see it overperform. While Bond’s latest outing appeals to an older crowd and Venom: Let There Be Carnage leans to the youth market, Dune has a unique position of appeal to all sides. Featuring a universal, A-list cast, a sci-fi spectacle setting, and based on long-revered source material, Dune has all the makings of a commercial hit, so long as folks venture out to the theater, rather than opting for the in-home experience (in the U.S., anyway) exclusively. Dune is also making its way out to the younger markets by way of tie-ins with the popular videogame Fortnite, McFarlane-produced action figures, Funko Pops!, and other merchandise, broadening the appeal extensively, which should make Dune‘s final weekend numbers very telling.

Source: Deadline

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