What’s up, Geeks + Gamers? It’s ODIN!
It has been a long time since we have had a decent opening weekend at the box office. Dune: Part Two has finally broken through with a projected $178 million opening weekend worldwide. Though this is not the biggest opening we have seen, even in the last couple of years (last year, Barbie opened to $344,000,000 worldwide), it is still quite impressive for a nearly three-hour movie that is the second part of a story based on a niche sci-fi novel. Many are currently pointing out the many similarities between this film and last year’s Oppenheimer, as they both have similar run times and saw similar numbers in their box office opening. Though the fate of Dune: Part Two’s box office prospects are still unknown, what we do know is that Dune does not have the “Barbenheimer” effect over a summertime box office to assist it. Because of this, it is likely that Dune will not reach the same heights as Oppenheimer. I have been hearing some people claim that the busy release schedule for March will provide competition, which is why the box office will be lower. History, however, shows that movies can do well even when there is competition, especially in the current climate where people are much more careful about how they spend their money and are not as easily swayed to watch movies on a whim as they may have in times past. The fact for Dune: Part Two, though, is that it has a reported $190 million budget and needs to make between $500 million and $600 million worldwide just to break even. If this follows the same trend as Dune: Part One, which made the vast majority of its box office overseas, the break-even number will be even higher. Right now, it seems that Dune: Part Two is on pace to break even and likely make a fair profit, but only time will truly tell. Next week, when we look at the week-2 drop-off, we will have a much better idea of what this film will likely make.
According to the-numbers.com, the top 5 this weekend domestically were:
Though the film is still set to be a massive financial loss for Sony, Madame Web had a stronger hold in its third week than even the guys over at BoxOfficePro were expecting. Now sitting at $91 million after three weeks, there is a chance it can cross $100 million by the end of its run. There are a lot of films coming out next weekend (March 8th) that could impact the fourth-week drop for the movie because of the various genres being represented (Cabrini, Imaginary, and Kung Fu Panda 4). Even if it does somehow reach that milestone, Madame Web will still be a far cry from breaking even and will still be the worst superhero/comic book box office of the modern era.
If you want further analysis on these or any other films, check out the full charting I do over at my website. Have a wonderful rest of your day, and, as always, God bless!
(If you ever want further insight into my methodology, see my previous articles HERE and HERE.)