Denis Villeneuve “disappointed” at summer box office outlook

This past Memorial Day Weekend – the unofficial start to summer – was a dismal one at the box office, with reports putting it as the worst turnout in decades. Topping the chart was Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga with around $32 million, just barely edging out Garfield. So what can be expected from the summer box office if this is how it’s going to kick off? 

The month of May is when things tend to start picking up at the box office, with tentpole releases and franchise sequels flooding the screens in seemingly rapid succession. But The Fall Guy – which came out on May 3rd – didn’t land the way the studio wanted it and so now it’s available on streaming services, officially yanking its chances to grow at the box office. As it stands, Dune: Part Two – which arrived in March – is the highest-grossing movie of the year, which, surprisingly enough, its director is pretty displeased about. As Denis Villeneuve recently put it, “I’m disappointed to still be number one…I hope soon that there will be other successes at the box office. I hope, sooner or later, that this summer box office will be much better.”

But this may not be the case, with predictions indicating that this could be a historically low summer at the box office, with few movies expected to hit the $100 million mark. But Villeneuve thinks there could be a solution. “I think we need movies that are theatrical experiences, that will fully embrace the power of the theatre, and I’m not just talking about Dune 2. Of course I’m talking about many movies. A movie like Civil War, for instance, is a strong example of a movie that absolutely used the power of the theatre…I was lucky that Part 2 did reach the audience, I wish it would happen more often, honestly.”

The first Dune cracked the top 15 of the 2021 box office with its October release, hitting just under $110 million domestically, whereas Dune: Part Two has taken in $282 million in North America.

What do you expect to be the highest-grossing movies at the box office this summer? How many will hit that opening weekend mark of $100 million? Give us your predictions below.