While DUNE has been well received by sci-fi fans and critics, it produced a somewhat middling performance at the box office, with its $41M opening weekend, a notch lower than earlier October for VENOM: LET THERE BE CARNAGE ($90M), NO TIME TO DIE ($55.2M) and HALLOWEEN KILLS ($49.4M). However, Warner Bros. appears satisfied with the results, perhaps also influenced by activity on HBO Max, where it was also made available to at-home customers.
So much so that WB announced that a DUNE sequel has been greenlit and is now scheduled for an Oct. 20, 2023 release. When it arrives, the sequel will not have to compete with itself on streaming, since next year Warner Bros. will return to releasing its movies with a 45-day exclusive theatrical window. In addition, the studio’s agreement with director Denis Villeneuve stipulates that DUNE 2 will open as a theatrical exclusive.
See also: Dune: What Fans Are Saying About Denis Villeneuve’s Latest Sci-Fi Movie (Cinema Blend)