“Dune,” the dazzling big-screen adaptation of Frank Herbert’s seminal sci-fi novel, ignited the international box office in its debut, collecting $35.8 million from 24 overseas markets. It’s a promising start given the hobbled state of moviegoing in many foreign territories amid the pandemic.
Directed by Denis Villeneuve and starring Timothee Chalamet, Zendaya and Oscar Isaac, “Dune” ranked No. 1 in most international markets and had the strongest turnout in Russia with $7.6 million from 2,100 screens, followed by France ($7.5 million from 892 screens), Germany ($4.9 million from 900 screens) and Italy ($2.6 million from 740 screens). Given its ambitious special effects, it’s no surprise that many audience members opted to watch “Dune” on premium screens. Imax accounted for $3.6 million of this weekend’s ticket sales, representing roughly 10% of the movie’s total box office revenues.
