Dune beat expectations during its early release, earning $36.8 million in 24 overseas markets.
The Denis Villeneuve-directed sci-fi pic is now the top film in the international box office, Deadline reports. Starring Timothée Chalamet and Zendaya, Dune is the second feature film adaptation of Frank Herbert’s 1965 novel of the same name. It’s set to premiere in domestic theaters and on HBO Max on Oct. 22.
Destin Daniel Cretton’s Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is also still faring well, though it doesn’t appear that it will outshine Marvel’s Black Widow. Shang-Chi has garnered another $5.8 million, for a 15-day total of up to $160.99 million in the domestic market, according to Forbes. It’s slated to remain in the No. 1 spot, bringing its total domestic haul to $175 to $177 million, and a worldwide net of $320 million. Still, Black Widow remains the top earner, pulling in $184 domestically and $370 million worldwide.
Villeneuve recently shared a harsh criticism of Marvel movies, calling them “cut and paste” offerings that have turned fans “into zombies.”
“I have never felt like a loss or an impediment to have a generous budget to do what I wanted to do,” he told El Mundo. “Who said that a movie on a big budget can’t be artistically relevant at the same time? I am currently thinking of people like Christopher Nolan or Alfonso Cuarón.”
“Perhaps the problem is that we are in front of too many Marvel movies that are nothing more than a ‘cut and paste’ of others. Perhaps these types of movies have turned us into zombies a bit. … But big and expensive movies of great value, there are many today. I don’t feel capable of being pessimistic at all.”