Dune: 5 Reasons It Will Be A Massive Hit (And 5 Reasons It Will Flop)

In 2017, internet movie pundits across the web hyped up Blade Runner 2049 with numerous think pieces. The astounding trailers promised the Blade Runner cult a worthy follow-up to their beloved favorite from the director behind the sci-fi masterpiece Arrival. Critics were smitten by it. Harrison Ford brought his star power to bear, returning to one of his signature roles. All the pieces were in place for Villeneuve to deliver a box office juggernaut... then nobody showed up to the theatre.

Well, almost nobody. Blade Runner 2049 made a paltry $260 million against an estimated budget of $185 million, well below the $400 million needed for it to break even. Numerous excuses for this failure at the box office followed, from the unwieldy runtime to the studio over-estimating just how big the fanbase for the original Blade Runner was.

Dune is in a similar position. Villeneuve is in the director's chair, attempting to revive a franchise that previously bombed with audiences. Is the cult of Dune large enough to pump up the box office? Are the stunning trailers going to draw in the uninitiated? We'll have to wait and see, but Dune isn't Blade Runner. Dune can provide audiences with the action spectacle that they've grown accustomed to in the Marvel era so its box office chances might not be as bleak as Villeneuve's last effort.

Odds are good that even in a pandemic audiences will finally give Dune its long-awaited moment to shine and fulfil the promise of the novel.