Denis Villeneuve Responds To Dismal Summer Box Office: “I’m Disappointed To Still Be Number One”

Denis Villeneuve is both humbled and a little disappointed that Dune: Part Two is still rocking at the box office.

While in Toronto Friday to receive the Academy Icon Award at the 2024 Canadian Screen Awards, the director said he was “disappointed to still be number one. … I hope soon that there will be other successes at the box office. I hope, sooner or later, that this summer box office will be much better.”

Released on March 1, Dune: Part Two has grossed more than $711 million worldwide. It remains the top grossing movie of 2024, ahead of Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire ($567M).

“I think we need movies that are theatrical experiences, that will fully embrace the power of the theatre, and I’m not just talking about Dune 2,” Villeneuve went on to say. “Of course I’m talking about many movies. A movie like Civil War, for instance, is a strong example of a movie that absolutely used the power of the theatre,” Villeneuve told reporters. “I was lucky that Part 2 did reach the audience, I wish it would happen more often, honestly.”

Earlier Saturday, Deadline reported the box office was down 66% from a year ago.

Alcon/Sony’s The Garfield Movie, as expected, is showing his teeth against Warner Bros’ Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga in a second-weekend faceoff between the two, $13M to $11.5M. The Garfield Movie took in $3.7M at 4,018 theaters yesterday, while Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga made $3.05M at 3,864.