Studio is "actively engaged" on Dune: Part Three, which means it's happening

If you haven't noticed, people have been talking about Dune lately. The iconic sci-fi book by Frank Herbert has remained popular for nearly six decades at this point, and Dune: Part Two — which adapts the back half of that original book — is tearing it up at the box office. With not even a week of availability under its belt, Dune: Part Two has taken in nearly $200 million around the globe, squeaking by its budget of $190 million. According to The Hollywood Reporter, rival studios believe the movie will easily cruise to full profitability and tap out somewhere around $600 or $700 million. And who knows? Maybe the growing fanbase can push it into the billion-dollar club?

Whatever happens, Dune: Part Two is a success. THR notes that the movie has been particularly successful among people 18-34 years old, who made up 34% of the audience for Dune: Part One back in 2022 but made up nearly 50% of the audience of Dune: Part Two. That's important, because 18-34-year-olds statistically go to movies the most often, so studios covet their patronage. You get the (relatively) young people in the door, and you've got a hit.

All this means that Dune: Part Three is an inevitability. Director Denis Villenueve has talked openly about wanting to adapt Herbert's sequel to Dune, Dune Messiah, as another movie. Studio executives like Legendary CEO Josh Grode can't yet openly say it's going to happen...but it's going to happen. “We’re all actively engaged in Dune: Part Three. That’s what I’ll say for right now,” Grode teased, probably pinching himself through his pocket to keep from blurting out more information. It's just a matter when, people.

While Villeneuve and company work on a third movie, Warner Bros. Discovery plans to keep interest in Dune alive with a TV show called Dune: Prophecy due to air on Max sometime this year. I worry that could be overkill, but so far the Dune movies have hit that sweet spot where they're clearly building a franchise — what every studios wants — without feeling like they're milking things unnecessarily. The Marvel and Star Wars franchises made the mistake of delivering too much too fast to audiences and are now having the change course to get people interested again. The Dune franchise is in a good place.

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