“Dune: Part 2” Now Has the Best Opening Weekend of the Year So Far.”

You know what? I’ve always believed that listening to your audience is key, and the success of Dune: Part 2 at the box office just proves it.

There was a time when Hollywood seemed invincible. Classics like Citizen Kane and Gone With the Wind set the bar high. But nowadays, it feels like the industry has lost its way, churning out sequel after sequel and live-action remakes. It’s kind of disheartening, isn’t it? When beloved characters from Toy Story start rivaling horror icons like Jason and Freddy in sequel numbers, you can’t help but wonder what the writers were thinking.

Clearly, their priority wasn’t preserving creative freedom.

Hollywood seems to have forgotten how to ask politely for our money. It’s more like they’re demanding it, akin to a persistent toddler pestering you for a cookie after their nap. Their palms are always outstretched, expecting us to hand over our hard-earned cash. It’s like the more financially stable they become, the more creatively bankrupt they appear.

As the wise folks over at RedLetterMedia often remark: “Don’t ask questions. Just consume product and then get excited for the next product.”

But Dune: Part 2 is a refreshing departure from this trend. Last weekend, the epic film raked in a whopping $178 million worldwide, marking the best opening weekend at the box office since Barbie premiered last summer.

So, let’s delve into today’s topic and explore how the success of Dune: Part 2 could potentially revitalize Hollywood. Of course, we’ll do so with a hint of skepticism, pretending that Hollywood even wants to be rescued.

Dune: Part 2 Is Part Of The Changing Tides

For quite some time, Hollywood has found itself in conflict with a significant portion of its fanbase. Recently, Kevin Smith’s behavior serves as a prime example of this lack of professionalism. When fans voiced their dissatisfaction with the direction Smith was taking a beloved series, his response was far from tactful. In fact, Smith engaged in a heated exchange with YouTube commentators Clownfish TV after they accurately reported on aspects of the series that fans might find objectionable. Rather than addressing the concerns raised, Smith chose to attack those who were simply providing accurate information, accusing them of dishonesty.

However, a shift is occurring. Two studios that recognize this shift are Universal and Warner Brothers. 2023 proved to be lucrative for the two studios as Warner had the highest grossing movie of the year with Barbie and Universal had two out of the top three highest grossing movies of the year.

The reason behind the studios’ success is straightforward: they delivered what the fans wanted. Take Greta Gerwig’s approach to Barbie, for instance. She didn’t concern herself with catering to the male perspective; instead, she created a film by feminists, for feminists. Barbie was unabashedly itself, with the writers fully understanding and meeting the expectations of their target audience. They delivered, and the audience responded in kind.

As we venture into a year still in its infancy, Dune: Part 2 is setting a promising tone for Warner Bros. The success it’s experiencing can be attributed to many of the factors I outlined earlier. The film is receiving acclaim from both critics and fans, and it seems highly likely that a third installment, expanding on the 896-page novel’s story, will be given the green light.

Much of this success stems from the creative team’s commitment to staying true to the source material. I reached out to some of my colleagues at Geek News Now for their thoughts, and the feedback was overwhelmingly positive.

Jonathan Hile, the host of GNN’s podcast Captain’s Logs And Lightsabers, shared his insights:

“A lot of folks who hadn’t been acquainted with Dune had the chance to catch Part One during the pandemic. Part 2 being exclusively in theaters certainly helps fill those seats. Couple that with some incredibly astute casting, featuring a lineup that reads like a who’s who of Hollywood’s current generation, along with Denis Villeneuve’s breathtaking visual style, and a storyline that unfolds gradually. Part 2 effectively addresses the major criticisms of the ‘White Savior’ trope from the first installment and pivots the narrative toward one of religious and political conflict.”

A Word From Our Editor

David Gremillion, the Grand Poobah of GNN, offered a nuanced but ultimately positive take:

“It’s neither a good movie nor a bad movie. Dune: Part 2 is literature on screen. It’s not your typical popcorn flick. This movie diverges significantly from the Hollywood formula we’ve become accustomed to over the past two decades or so. It’s as far removed from Marvel as you can get. Now, don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing inherently wrong with Marvel movies—they’re your classic good vs. bad, action-packed popcorn flicks with plenty of explosions and cheering. But Dune: Part 2 is something altogether different. And that’s a good thing. It’s not the usual fare; it’s not like Top Gun or Top Gun: Maverick. We need this kind of diversity in our cinema. We need to challenge Hollywood’s status quo.”

Final Takeaway

I’ve always seen various aspects of life—politics, fashion, economics, and entertainment—as a swinging pendulum. Trends ebb and flow, opinions shift with the times, and people are influenced by different factors. Society can be incredibly fickle. But at some point, it feels like the pendulum of entertainment just stopped swinging.Both television and movies have stagnated, leaving cinema enthusiasts drowning in a sea of mindless, self-serving, and often uninspired content, served up like a can of wet dog food. However, Dune: Part 2 isn’t just resonating with fans—it feels like the movie we didn’t even know we needed. Slowly but surely, it’s pulling the pendulum back to its starting point and preparing to release it, ushering in a new era in cinema.¹

1. Content sourced from “Dune: Part 2” Is An Example For Hollywood To Follow and edited by Chat GPT ↩︎