The total was higher than expected which earned the film nearly $30 million. It was also the biggest opening of the year for Warner Bros. and ended a solid month for the movie theater industry.
The initial numbers are also notable because many of those fans could stay at home and watch “Dune” on HBO Max, the streaming service of CNN’s parent company, WarnerMedia. The film was available in theaters and streaming platforms simultaneously this weekend.
“Dune” also found a worldwide audience, having grossed $220 million globally so far.
Away from the film’s success, “Doon” helped theaters end the month on a high note.
October was getting a lot of attention as it was the first month of the pandemic era with a big movie opening every week. And those big movies fueled previous expectations with “Venom: Let There Be Carnage” and “Halloween Kills.” James Bond’s latest film “No Time to Die” also opened to much fanfare this month, but received a slightly overwhelming response compared to the Bond films of the past.
Still, for films like “Doon” to show respectable performance this month was crucial for the overall health of the movie theater industry, which is still trying to get back on its feet while the coronavirus pandemic continues.
“While there’s a weekend left, ‘Dune’ kicks off a historically symbolic October as the pandemic continues to recover at the box office,” Sean Robbins, chief analyst at BoxOffice.com, told CNN Business. “Four consecutive weekends of over $40 million openings have provided the consistency and observable trends the film industry has been seeing during other brief bright spots throughout the year so far.”
Robbins said that “challenges remain” but “the big picture takeaway offers significant impetus throughout the holiday season and into 2022.”
Now the industry wants to end 2021 with some heavy hitters on the lineup, including “Eternal,” “Ghostbusters: Afterlife” coming next month and “West Side Story,” “Spider-Man: No Way Home” and “The Matrix Resurrection”. “Coming in December.
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