Blockbuster Dune is officially getting a sequel!

The first Dune turns out to be a huge success and fans can now prepare for the sequel. But don’t hold your breath…

Dune finally came out in September after being postponed for a year due to corona. Denis Villeneuve’s sci-fi remake was such a quintessentially risky film; the film is certainly not for everyone and the 1984 original was a huge flop. That made it all the more surprising that Villeneuve despite a lack of endorsement from Warner Bros. just popped ‘part one’ under the title. That turned out to be a good bet, because there’s just a sequel coming.

Dune is money machine

Dune had a massive opening weekend in the United States. The film grossed over $41 million in its first weekend in the US. Since its release, the film has already raised nearly $220 million worldwide, more than enough to cover its budget and possible marketing costs.

That still doesn’t come close to the Marvels and Disneys of today, but certainly for a sci-fi film like this in a global pandemic, that’s huge. Another factor to consider is the fact that HBO and Warner Bros. have a deal to release all new movies directly on HBO Max this year. Apart from the already successful opening weekend, HBO is undoubtedly also rubbing its hands.

Official sequel

That’s why Warner Bros. today undoubtedly pleased enough with Dune and Villeneuve to approve an official sequel. Of course it was already a bit coming, but now the studios involved have actually given the green light. Dune II will be released as it stands on October 23, 2023. Yup, that will have to wait a little longer…

What can we expect from Dune II? Spoiler alert: the first part was mostly world building. We saw the family of the main character Paul being betrayed and he is now on his way to the Fremen, possibly so that he can take revenge on the mysterious emperor.