Fresh off its $5.1 million Thursday night preview gross, Dune continued to show strength on Friday at the box office despite its availability on HBO MAX.
Dune topped he domestic box office on Friday with $17.5 million from 4,125 theaters, per “The Hollywood Reporter.” For Warner Bros., this is their best showing for a 2021 film also opening on the HBO Max streaming service. Imax theaters turned in $4.2 million, or 24 percent of Friday’s entire gross which indicates a strong showing in that format.
The good news about the Friday gross is that it’s stronger than the initial $15 million estimated that was reported earlier in the day based on early figures which saw the film opening in the $30-32 million range based on that projection. Now that the Friday gross is higher, Dune has a shot at about $39-40 million, which is higher than its initial tracking and is simply good news for its prospects this weekend. Opening night audiences also loved the film and graced it with an “A-” CinemaScore which is a solid grade for a cerebral sci-fi film.
Dune’s performance in China is also one to watch. As of now, its two-day gross in that market is about $15.84 million and its Saturday figure of $9.7 million was an increase of 55% over Friday. At this rate it’s looking at a $20 million+ finish there over the weekend and it should be over $200 million globally through Sunday.
Dune follows the son of a noble family that is entrusted with the protection of the most valuable asset and most vital element in the galaxy. Villeneuve has gathered an impressive ensemble cast for the film including Timothee Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson, Oscar Isaac, Josh Brolin, Stellan Skarsgard, Dave Bautista, Stephen McKinley Henderson, Zendaya, Chang Chen, Sharon Duncan-Brewster, Charlotte Rampling, Jason Momoa, and Javier Bardem.
We will be breaking down Dune’s full weekend performance in tomorrow’s box office report so stay tuned for that!
Follow the JOBLO MOVIE NETWORK
Follow us on YOUTUBE
Follow ARROW IN THE HEAD
Follow AITH on YOUTUBE