The sci-fi adventure film Dune is officially getting a sequel. Dune: Part 2 will hit theatres on 20 October 2023. Legendary Entertainment announced the news ensuring that the spice will continue to flow on screen. Warner Bros will distribute the film and help finance it, though Legendary is the primary money behind the movie and owns the film rights to the book series.
Director, producer and co-screenwriter Denis Villeneuve will be returning to the franchise. “Denis Villeneuve has crafted a film that is both visually extraordinary and emotionally transporting, as evidenced by its global success both critically and at the box office,” said Warner Bros Picture Group chairman Toby Emmerich. “We are thrilled to continue on this journey with Denis and his cast and crew, and our partners at Legendary, and can’t wait to bring the next chapter of this epic tale to theaters in October 2023.”
The first installment of Dune, a science-fiction epic starring Timothee Chalamet, notched an estimated $40.1 million at the North American box office this weekend, exceeding expectations of $30 million. It marks the biggest opening for Warner Bros. this year. The film has also performed well overseas, earning nearly $225 million globally. Its domestic opening results were roughly in line with what Warner Bros. expected the film to generate when it was greenlit, which is notable because that’s long before Covid-19 upended the media landscape.
“Legendary is pleased to officially move forward with Dune: Part Two, once again based on the amazing books written by Frank Herbert,” said Legendary. “We would not have gotten to this point without the extraordinary vision of Denis and the amazing work of his talented crew, the writers, our stellar cast, our partners at Warner Bros., and of course the fans! Here’s to more Dune.”
The film is expected to have an exclusive theatrical run, and Legendary will likely make that point iron-clad after Dune debuted simultaneously in theatres and on HBO Max last week. The strong opening for Dune was even more impressive considering the film was also streaming on HBO Max; meaning audiences could have skipped theaters altogether and watched at home.
Warner Bros. and Legendary previously partnered on last March’s Godzilla vs. Kong, a monster mash-up that grossed an impressive $467.8 million globally.