Early screenings of Dune Part Two for friends and industry insiders have started. The word on the street? The feedback is universal and it is spectacular.
Dune Part One set the scene and laid out the universe and the back story. As anyone who knows the book will tell you, the second half is where things really get down to business, not just from an action point of view, but with the development of the plot and the characters.
Christopher Nolan has seen it, and he gave a post-screening interview and was effusive in his praise of the movie:
“If, to me, Dune was like Star Wars, then Dune 2 is The Empire Strikes Back, which is my favorite Star Wars film. I think it’s just a great expansion of all that was introduced in the first one.”
Early box-office projections for Dune Part Two are also coming in. The first one opened to $42 million with a day and date release on HBO Max in the immediate post-COVID lockdown era, where masks were still mandated in theaters. This sequel is looking at a range from $75-100 million, with reports saying that premium formats such as IMAX are selling strongly.
Dune Part Two will also be almost alone as a big-budget, tentpole in theaters until Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire on March 22nd. Counting against it is the 166-minute running time.
Dune: Part Two opens in cinemas on March 1st.
Check back every day for movie news and reviews at the Last Movie Outpost
