A Dune 2 (aka Dune: Part Two) superfan, @batsdune on X, has seen it over 20 times. Legendary, Fandango, and Regal Cinemas all collaborated to reward the fan.
Dune's official X account made a post about the fan. “@batsdune we've been following along and we are your #1 fans,” the post began. “Deeply impressed by your dedication to #DuneMovie, and we want to help you on your journey.”
They then tagged Legendary, who financed the film for Warner Bros, who distributed the film, Fandango, and Regal Cinemas asking for their participation.
Fandango and Regal instantly replied — the former gifted the fan 10 free tickets and the latter loaded them with 10 free popcorns and drinks. Legendary will be sending the fan a “surprise package” as well.
This was a heartwarming way to reward a superfan. Maybe spending $10+ on tickets over 20 times does pay off. Hopefully, the fan enjoys Dune 2 just as much as the last time with each rewatch.
What is Dune?
Dune: Part Two is the continuation of Denis Villeneuve's adaptation of Frank Herbert's iconic sci-fi novel. Timothée Chalamet stars as Paul Atreides in the film. Part Two continues his rise to power as he seeks revenge against House Harkonnen, who effectively tore his family apart in the events of the last film.
Frank Herbert's original Dune novel was released in 1965. It won several awards and has been subject to several adaptations. The most notable past adaptation was David Lynch's 1984 film, which featured the likes of Sting, Max von Sydow, and Patrick Stewart in the ensemble.
The Sci-Fi channel also made a miniseries adaptation. Frank Herbert's Dune aired in 2000. A sequel miniseries, Frank Herbert's Children of Dune, was released in 2003.
Villeneuve's two-part adaptation is perhaps the definitive adaptation. Chalamet leads the films alongside Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson, Josh Brolin, Javier Bardem, and Stellan Skarsgård. Austin Butler and Florence Pugh starred in Part Two.
Dune 2's box office success
The film has been a major hit in theaters. To date, Part Two has grossed over $626 million worldwide at the box office. It quickly eclipsed the gross of its predecessor, Dune, which made $406 million worldwide. To be fair, the first film did suffer from a day-and-date release from Warner Bros in 2021, which meant it debuted in theaters and on the then-HBO Max simultaneously.
Part Two debuted to over double that of its predecessor at the domestic box office. During its March 1 opening weekend, the film made $82.5 million. It has continued strong, making $252 million domestically and $373.7 million internationally to date.
What comes next remains to be seen. Director Denis Villeneuve has been vocal about an adaptation of Dune Messiah, one of the many sequel novels. But he also sounds like he wants a break from Arrakis.
However, thanks to Part Two's box office success, more Dune adventures do seem inevitable.