Sequel to 2021’s critically acclaimed movie Dune; Dune: Part Two directed by Denis Villeneuve released on March 1st 2024. Part Two is the second of a two-part adaptation of Frank Herbret’s 1965 novel of the same name and it follows Timothée Chalamet’s Paul Atreides uniting with Fremen people to go on a war against House Harkonnen.
The second part of Dune opened up to being highly appreciated by the audience and the critics. Part Two in just a few days has managed to gross over $189 million worldwide making it the fifth-highest-grossing movie of 2024. Performances of the actors including the direction and screenplay by the filmmaker were highly lauded. Recent reports have suggested that the success and box-office collection of Dune: Part Two hints towards it breaking the record of Part One.
Timothée Chalamet starring Dune: Part Two triumphs among young adults
Denis Villeneuve’s Dune: Part Two was one of the highly anticipated movies of 2024 starring Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Austin Butler, Josh Brolin, Florence Pugh, Rebecca Ferguson, and more in significant roles. The audience’s response to the sequel of Dune has been very positive and overwhelming for the cast and crew.
One of the things that has been reported via THR is the fact that the weekend tickets were mostly bought by individuals falling under the age group of 18- 25. This was later compared to the percentage recorded for Part One which went on to show that the percentage of young adults purchasing tickets for Part Two jumped to 18% compared to 14% from Part One.
Talking about the individuals falling in the age group of 26 to 35, EntTelligence reports (via THR) that it jumped from 20% to 28% which is a record in itself. These demo graphs are significant because according to studies individuals aged between 18 to 35 are the ones who watch movies more frequently.
Josh Grode, Legendary CEO shared with THR;
“We did some testing on some early materials for trailer and how it was resonating, and when we had our cast available, many of the numbers absolutely jumped up because we had them available to work and promote the movie.”
Now, it can be said that it could be either the power of Imax, Timothée Chalamet’s exceptional performance or Villeneuve’s critically acclaimed storytelling that attracted young adults to watch the sequel movie. After Oppenheimer’s success, the audience wanted to have the same Imax experience with Part Two that was shot on 70mm. Imax CEO Rich Gelfond had shared (via Variety) that their most iconic film locations are virtually sold out for weeks.
The jump in the percentage of moviegoers from Part One to Part Two can be seen as Part Two’s attempt to break its predecessor’s record in a very stylish way.
Denis Villeneuve says reading Dune at the age of 13 moved him
In an interview with NPR, director Denis Villeneuve revealed that he read Frank Herbert’s novel when he was merely 13 years old and explained that the idea of a boy finding his home in another culture, feeling comfortable in a foreign country, really touched him at the time. He touched upon how David Lynch’s 1984 adaptation of Dune made him feel;
“There were some choices that were very far from my sensibility. I remember watching the movie, saying to myself; someday someone else will do it again. “
The director described Part One as a meditative film adding that in Part Two Chalamet’s character Paul Arteides takes control of his destiny and becomes more active. He notes that the second movie was meant to be more of an action movie. The filmmaker was also asked about preferring little dialogue to which he said that if he could make movies without dialogue, it would have been paradise.
Villeneuve added that he remembers the movies because of their images, because of the ideas that unfold through those images. He calls them the power of cinema adding that he hopes to make a movie with as little dialogue as possible in the future.
Dune: Part Two is now playing in cinemas.
