Did You Hear? is a weekly examination of headlines in the entertainment industry and a take on what they could mean for the future of the industry and (often), the little geeky bubble that we occupy!
Dune Part 2 is Tracking to Surpass Dune Part 1 in Massive Opening Weekend
The box office profits must flow!
Wednesday of this week saw the debut of Dennis Villeneuve’s Dune Part 2 – the sequel to his 2021 Dune. The two films encompass the events of the first book in Frank Herbert’s Dune saga. All week long social media and pundits have been swirling with rumours of the second installment’s impending tremendous success. Even The Hollywood Reporter added their two cents to the box office tracking:
Denis Villeneuve‘s long-awaited Dune: Part Two is off to a promising start at the foreign box office, where it opened to $5.2 million on Wednesday from its first 13 markets. Including previews, the running foreign tally is $7.6 million.
… leading up to specify:
France led on Wednesday with $1.4 million, followed by South Korea with $1.1 million.
… and in this article THR predicts the following for the domestic market:
In terms of Dune: Part Two’s potential this weekend, Warner Bros. and Legendary are being conservative in estimating a $65 million-plus domestic opening (their caution is understandable, since it runs two hours and 46 minutes). But tracking services have it reaching $74 million, while some box office observers believe it could cross $80 million based on advance ticket sales and stellar reviews. It holds a 97 percent on Rotten Tomatoes.
Spoilerites, we all know genre (fantasy, science fiction, comic book), often struggles at the box office. It’s rare to see this level of monetary success in a genre film – especially one that’s not an origin story. And, despite Dune Part 2 being the second half of the first book it is very much not an origin story! Couple this with what we know must have been an astronomical amount of budget spent on talent (with the cast almost exclusively made up of Hollywood A-listers who have been signed on a film-by-film basis rather than a 3+ movie contract the way Marvel does it), Dune Part 2 simply has to make this much money to ensure we get into the story of Paul’s children in Dune Part 3.
As a die-hard Dune fan I can’t say I’m anything other than tremendously excited! I’m certain next week I’ll be back writing again about Dune Part 2 once we get some finalized box office numbers.
Avatar: The Last Airbender Debuts in Live-Action on Netflix to Mixed Reviews
Avatar: The Last Airbender | Official Trailer | Netflix
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While Dune Part 2 may have opened to universal acclaim, Netflix’s Avatar: the Last Airbender adaptation wasn’t met with as warm a welcome. Fans and critics alike have been mixed on the series overall, with some extra drama coming for the change in the character of Sokka AND the actor playing him in live action.
The Australian Broadcasting Company sums up their review in the title:
Netflix’s new adaptation of Avatar: The Last Airbender can’t measure up to the original animated series
THR wasn’t terribly pleased overall stating:
And in all of these failings, it delivers an Avatar that, grittier though it may be, feels far less mature than the kids’ cartoon ever did.
Whereas Rolling Stone had a brighter take:
As these things go, this new Last Airbender is entertaining enough to work for newcomers to this world, and respectful enough to remind the cartoon’s fans why they loved that world in the first place.
We here at Major Spoilers want to know what the Spoilerites are thinking! If you’ve watched Avatar: the Last Airbender on Netflix please comment your thoughts below and share them with us on social media.
Superman: Legacy Becomes Simply: Superman
Yesterday was the day most fans consider to be Superman’s birthday! To celebrate, DC Films curated James Gunn shared the following post on his Official Instagram Account:
Gunn’s vision of the DC Films Universe debuts with a movie about The Man of Steel which, up to this point, we have known is titled Superman: Legacy. Eagle-eyed fans will noticed this latest post simply reads: Superman.
*insert double eye emoji here*
This is nothing more than simple speculation and a bit of fun on my part, but I’ll be interested to see if this next movie is following in the footsteps of Superman ‘78 in its simple title.
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